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THE TRAVELERS' 

Handbook for China 

(INCLUDING HONGKONG) 

BY 

CARL CROW 



^ith Nine Maps and Plans and Numerouv^ 
lUustrations 



Third Edition^ Revised Throughout 



W ffl ^ ^u - JE 

"ONE SEEING IS WORTH 
A HUNDRED TELLINGS" 



DODD, MEAD & CO., NEW YORK. 
CARL CROW, SHANGHAI 



.0 



f\b^ 



Copyright by Gael Ckow 



Printed in China 
J'J. sifiif 



TO MY WIFE 



When the second edition of this handbook for China 
was bronght out a few years ago every possible effort was 
made to bring the book up to date and to make the informa- 
tion in it accurate to the last degree. Every section of the 
book was read and revised by some one with special know- 
ledge on the subject involved and often several took part in 
the revision. Among the many well known authorities on 
China who gave the author their assistance were Dr. John 
E. Hykes, Mr. Thomas Torrance, Prof. N. Gist Gee, Dr. 
G. H. Bcndfield, Mrs. Donald Christie, Prof. AV. M. Upcraft, 
Mr. E. C. Stocker the late Dr. Timothy Eichard and the 
late Mr. T. E. Jernigan. 

With an edition so thoroughly revised it was thought 
that the work of bringing out a third edition would be a 
very simple matter. But once the work of revision was 
undertaken it was found that China has changed tremend- 
ously in the past few years. Scarcely a paragraph of the 
second edition has been allowed to stand unchanged and the 
work of revision which it was thought could be completed 
in a few months has dragged out over the better part of a 
year. As in former editions every effort has been made to 
bring the volume up to date but it is offered to the pub- 
lic with the reahzation that no book of this character on a 
country which is changing so rapidly as China can ever be 
completely accurate. 

I wish to express my grateful appreciation to the many 
friends who have helped in the revision of this edition and 
especially to Mrs. Samuel Couling who has patiently and 
painstakingly read all of the proofs and whose superior know- 
ledge of China has added greatly to the value of this book. 

Carl Crow 
Shanghai, April 2, ig2I 



COHO^KK^S 



PAGE 

General Information 1 

Cliina and Tourists 1 

Climate and Clothing 6 

Customs Houses 8 

Shopping 8 

Money and Exchange 9 

Hunting 13 

Servants 14 

Transportation 16 

Books on China 20 

Calendar J . 24 

Hotels and Inns 25 

Brigands, Pirates and Kebellions 26 

Guides 26 

Food and Drink 27 

Pidgin English 28 

Eoutes and Fares 32 

LavvS and Passports 35 

Telegrams and Posts 35 

Chinese Names 36 

Treaty Port 36 

Weights and Measures 38 

Historical Sketch 42 

Eeligions of China 64 

Taoism 64 

Buddhism 6Q 

Confucianism 69 

Ancestral Worship 70 

Mohammedanism 71 

Christianity 72 



CONTEXTS 



PAGE 

Superstition 75 

!A.rts and Industries 78 

Porcelain 78 

Painting. .. .. 8^ 

Bronzes 84 

Architecture and Monuments 85 

Silk .. 86 

Carving ,. 88 

Jewelry .. .. .. 89 

Cloisonne . . . . . . 90 

Lace .. .. .. .. .. .. 90 

Embroidery 90 

Lacquer ., .. .. .. .. 91 

!rhe Government of China . . .. .. .. .. 93 

Shanghai (and the Yangtsze Valley) ..-. ^ 102 

Woosung . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 116 

Hangchow .. .. .. 116 

Chekiang Province .. .. .. .. .. 125 

Shaohiug .. 127 

Pootoo, the Sacred Island. . .. .. .. 128 

Mokanshan /. .. 13.*^ 

The Hangchow Bore .. .. .. .. c« 134 

Ningpo .. .\ .. / .. c. 137 

Shanghai-Nanking Railway ; . , . 142 

Soochow .. ■:. w 143 

Wusih . . ....;.. 149 

Chinkiang .. .. .. ;. w ;, .. 151 

Nanking . . ; 15'3 

Kiangsu Province ...... , . . . . 159 

Nantungchow . . . . . . ; . . . . . . . . . . . 159 

The Yangtsze River .. .. .. .. -;. .. .. .. 160 

Wuhu . . 162 

Anking . , 163 

A nhui Province .. .. .. .... 164 

Kiukiang . . ...... . . . . 165 

Kuling . . . . . . 166 



CONTENTS 



PAGE 

N anchang . . . . ... . . ... 1 68 

Kiangsi Province - 170 

Ching-teh-chen .. 170 

The Wu-Han Cities ...... .. 171 

Hiipeh Province . . . . . . 175 

Chacgslia . . . . 175 

Hunan Province . . 178 

The Yangtsze Gorges 180 

Ichang • . . 184 

Chungking 184 

Chengtu. . .. *. .. 185 

Szeehuen Province 187 

Tatsienlu . . . . 189 

Hangkow to Peking . . . . . . • . . . 192 

Kaifeng 193 

Honan Province . . . . 195 

Ilonanfii .. .. .. 197 

Chenchov^ . . * . » 197 / 

Peking *. .. 199/ 

Legation Quarter , 207 

Temple of Heaven 209 

Temple of Agriculture 212 

Lama Temple 213 

Temple of Confucius . . .. .. 217 

The Hall of Classics 218 

The Drum Tower 210 

The Bell Tower .. 219 

Astronomical Observatory . . 220 

Site of Old Examination Hall 221 

National Art Museum .. .... .. 222 

Altar of Earth 223 

The Botanical and Zoological Gardens 224 

Coal Hill 224 

Ti Wang Miao . . 225 

Mohammedan Mosques 225 

Yellow Temi>i3 . . • . . . .... . . 22G 



CONTENTS 



PAGK 

Summer Palace .. 227 

The Ming Tombs 229 

The Great Wall o 231 

Western Tombs 232 

Eastern Tombs 233 

Kalgan • 233 

Chihli Province 234 

.Jehol 234 

Sianiu 236 

Shensi Province 239 

The Loess Plain 240 

Lanchowf u 241 

Paotingfu 241 

Taiyuenfu 241 

Peking Mukden Eailway 243 

Tientsin 244 

The Grand Canal 246 

Peitaiho .. 247 

Chin-wang-tao 247 

Moukden 248 

Manchuria 253 

Shan-hai-kwan 256 

Harbin 256 

Changchun 257 

Dairen (Dalny) 258 

South Manchuria Eailway 259 

Lusliun (Port Arthur). . .. 261 

Newchwang (Yingkou) . , . . . , . . 263 

Moukden to Antung (Ampo Line) 263 

Chef 00 263 

Weihaiwei , , . , , 264 

Tsingtau .. ,. .. ., ,, 266 

Tsinanf u , . , . . 267 

The Yellow Eailway .. 270 

Tientsin-Pukow Eailway ,. .. .. .. .. .. .. 271 

Shantung Province . . .... . . 273 



CONTENTS 



PAGE 

TaiShan 274 

Chufou 277 

Tsowhsien 279 

Pukow 281 

Hongkong (and South China) 282 

Canton .. 290 

Kwangtung Province 295 

Macao 297 

The West Eiver 299 

Amoy 300 

Foochow 302 

Fukien Province 305 

Swatow 306 

Chaochowfu 306 

Yunnan 307 

Tin Mines of Kochin 313 

The Swallow's Cave 314 



^ - . ' H 1,1 ' ^yy" 



1 ^ 




Face Page 1. 



GREAT HAGODA AT SOOCHOW. 



THE 



TRAVELERS' HANDBOOK 

FOR 

CHINA 



GENERAL INFORMATION 

HINA and Tourists. — As the fact is 
becoming more generally known that 
it is possible to visit the interesting 
country of China without foregoing 
the usual comforts of life or braving 
extra-ordinary dangers, tourists are 
turning to it each year in larger 
numbers. They find that one may 
travel hundreds of miles and visit 
the most important points without 
leaving the railway or steamship lines 
or getting very far away from a 
fairly good hotel. In foreign hotels 
and railways, the fringe of China 
that is accessible to foreigners is thoroughly modern, but with 
the acquisition of these conveniences for travelers, the country 
has lost none of its unique charm and remains as interesting 
and strange, as it was to Europeans w^ho more than five 
hundred years ago read Marco Polo's amazmg account of the 
land of the Great Khan. 

A comparatively small part of China is open to travelers, 
in tke sense in which the word travelers is ordinarily under- 




City Gate, Peking 



^ HANDBOOK FOR CHINA 

Stood, but this part, fortunately, is the most interesting. It 
includes the great semi-foreign port of Shanghai, the 
mysterious capital, Peking, the southern metropolis, Canton^ 
the tomb of Confucius and many places of less political, 
historical or commercial importance, such as Nanking, 
Soochow, Chefoo, Mouk 'en, the ancient capital of the Man- 
chus, the Yangtsze R ver for six hundred miles from its 
mouth, and the old Portuguese colony of Macao. Any 
traveler, no matter what the object of his trip to China, 
may profitably spend several months visiting these readily 
accessible places. Of course, some of the very interesting 
spots cannot be included in any ordinary itinerary. 

Chengtu, the great metropolis of Szechuen Province, 
Sianfu, old capital of the Han rulers, as wd\ as many other 
places intimately connected v^^ith Chinese history, are so far 
from the ordinary and modern routes of travel that they can 
be visited only by those who are willing to extend their visits 
to the country and make special and often tedious arrange- 
ments for these interior journeys. Equally inaccessible to the 
ordinary traveler are many of the rivers and a wealth of 
mountain scenery surpassed by few countries. 

The interest of a visit to China is not confined to any one 
class of travelers. .^;The size, population and undeveloped 
wealth of the country give it a'n absorbing interest to 
statesmen, religionists, merchants^ bankers, and all who have 
to do with the affairs of the world. The artist finds new and 
rich treasures in the comparatively unknown Chinese art. For 
the curio collector there are the great stocks of rare brocades, 
bronzes, pictures and porcelains, while the casual visitor who 
does not care to do more than see China in a hurried trip will 
find every moment crowded with strange sights and will carry 
away never-to-be-forgotten impressions. 

It is a trite expression that Chinese civilization has little 
in common with that of the West. From a time when the 
world was very young to a comparatively recent period, China 
was isolated from all other countries and developed a 
civilization unaffected by the forces and influences which 
moulded Europe and America. The result is equally interest- 



GENERAL INFORMATION ; 3 

ing to the casual traveler and to the serious student. One 
cannot be in China many hours before noticing customs which 
strike him as being directly contrary to what he has always 
thought to be the established order of things. So long as he 
remains in the country evidences of this contrariness continue 
to accumulate, a never failing source of interest and enter- 
tainment. If he remains long enough to become a student of 
Chinese customs, art and literature, he will find his interest 
does not fag with more intimate knowledge, but rather that 
China — any one of the many aspects of China — affords a study 
at once fascinating and inexhaustible. 

The present Republic of China extends over an area of 
about five million square miles; a great deal more than twice 
that of the United States. This estimate, of course, includes 
Mongolia, Manchuria, Tibet and Eastern Turkestan_, in 
addition to the eighteen provinces which make up China 
proper. 

However, the average traveler need concern himself only 
with Manchuria and a half of the provinces. Tibet is one of 
the very few places in the world which remain practically 
forbidden to the foreign traveler; ^^longolia is better known 
but there is little in its vast desert plain to make a visit 
enjoyable to the average traveler. Eastern Turkestan is less 
attractive and more, remote. The eighteen provinces which 
have furnished the stage for the long and absorbingly 
interesting drama of Chinese history occupy about two-fifths 
of the entire area of the country. It is within this area that a 
great part of the large population of the country is found, 
all of the dependencies being very sparsely populated. The 
most popularly accepted figure for this population is 400 
millions, though this, at best, is little more than a guess, called 
an estimate by courtesy. Some have placed the figure as low 
as 300 millions and others as high as 500 millions, so that the 
generally accepted figure, which also happens to be that 
approved by the Chinese themselves, lies midway between the 
highest and lowest estimate of foreign investigators. If the 
populations of Austria-Hungary, Belgium, France, Germany, 
Italy, England, Scotland, Ireland, Wales, Jap:m, Serbia and 



4 HANDBOOK ^OR CHINA 

Roumania had been wiped out by the Great War, these 
i countries could have been repeopled by Chinese and leave 
enough residents of China to give it a population as dense as 
that of the United States. 

The population by provinces, according to generally ac- 
cepted estimates is as follows : 

Persons per 

Province Population sq. mile 

Anhwei 23,672,300 432 

Chekiang 11,580,000 310 

Chihli 20,930,000 180 

Fokien 23,870000 492 

Honan 25,317,820 373 

Hunan 22,169,000 265 

Hupeh 35,280,00© 495 

Kansu 10,386,000 82 

Kiangsi 26,532,000 382 

Kiangsu 23,980,230 620 

Kwangsi 5,142,000 66 

Kwangtung 31,865,200 318 

Kweichow 7,650,000 114 

Shansi 10,200,000 149 

Shantung 38,247,900 . 683 

vShensi 8,450,000 112 

Szechuen 68,724,800 314 

Yunnan 12,721,500 86 

Figures pertaining to the area of China are as impressive 
as those relating to the population. '* For a traveler to 
encircle Chi na he would need to journey a distance con- 
siderably greater than half the circumference of the world. 
Of this distance, some 400 miles would be coast line, some 
6©oo miles would be bordering on Russian Territory, another 
4800 miles would touch British possessions, while of the re- 
mainder, some 400 miles would be contiguous to country under 
French rule and about 800 miles be described as doubtful.''* 



* Marshall Broomhall In "The Chinese EJmpIre." 



GENERAL INFORMATION f 

The traveler will not find it necessary to leave the railway 
or steamship lines in order to make an extensive visit to the 
country. China has more than 5,000 miles of railway, the 
Yangtsze River is navigable by ocean steamers for a distance 
of 600 miles from its mouth, and several hundred miles farther 
by river steamer and house boat, and several lines of coast 
and river steamers connect important cities. At all principal 
points hotel accommodations will be found, most of them 
under European control and management. A great many new 
hotels have been established in the last few years, and the 
traveling public notes a constant improvement in all of them. 
Both servants and provisions are cheap in China, and in theory 
hotel rates should be low. They were low before the European 
war, but with the increased cost of imported provisions and 
the increased gold value of the Mexican dollar, rates are no 
longer what they once were, perhaps the cheapest in the world 
for the same class of accomodations. In fact at the time this 
is written, (1920) travel and living in China are no longer 
cheap. 

Along the beaten path the stranger will find the way made 
tasy for him. Hotel servants, railway and steamship attendants 
speak English and are familiar with his needs. The more 
venturesome who are y/illing to leave the railways, steamship 
lines and hotels, travel on wheelbarrows, donk'^ys, or in sedan 
chairs and junks, and live in native inns, can visit any part of 
the country at small cost, and enjoy rare experiences. But no 
trip of this sort should be lightly undertaken. Provisions must 
be carried and servants and interpreters engaged. The needs of 
the traveler will depend so much on the object of his trip, the 
season and the territory to be traversed that no guide book 
formulae would be of much value. The advice of experienced 
travelers must be sought, and followed. 

The foreigner who knows only English will have no 
difficulty in finding his way about the various foreign settle- 
ments where *' pidgin '* English is spoken. One will pick up 
a knowledge of this hybrid language within the first few days 
of his stay. Except the missionaries, few foreign residents 
ever learn Chinese, which as a spoken language, differs 



iP HANDBOOK FOR CHIN> 

greatly in various parts of the country. The provincial 
differences in dialect are especially marked in the southeastern 
part of the country, from Shanghai to Canton^ where the 
Chinese traveler has but little advantage over the foreigner. 

Climate and Clothing. — If the territory of China were 
superimposed on that of North America, it w^ould reach from 
Seattle to Halifax and from Winnipeg to the Isthmus of 
Tehuantepec. Climatic conditions might well be expected to 
be very different in such a vast extent of territory, but the 
great plateau of Mongolia tends to establish rather uniform 
temperature over this great area. The ascending air from the 
heated sandy deserts in summer causes a current of air from 
the Pacific ocean while the current takes an opposite direction 
in winter when the prevailing winds are from the cold, dry 
plateau. 

Although there are no very definite physical marks by 
which the country is divided, China is generally considered, 
geographically, as separated into three sections, North, Central 
and South. The former may be said to consist of the basin of 
the Yellow River, (Hoang-ho), Central China the basin of the 
Yangtsze and Southern China that of the West River. The 
winter months of North China extend from November to 
March, during which time the rivers are frozen and the weather 
is very cold. The Tientsin port is closed by ice during winter 
and all traffic arrives over the railways. In the summer the 
temperature is nearly as high as in other parts of the country 
and there is a heavy rainfall with frequent floods. The spring 
and autumn, as in most other parts of the world, afford the 
best seasons for a visit as the temperature is then equable 
and there is little rainfall. In Central China the range of 
temperature is not so great as in the North and the rainy 
season comes earlier in the year. However there is freezing 
w^eather in winter and a temperature of lOO degrees in summer. 
During April and May the rivers are usually swollen. 
Theoretically, February and March are dry, but as a matter of 
common experience they are often cold and wet. In South 
China the winter months are usually dry and the summer 
season rainy. The traveler who desires comfort will go to 



CLIMATE AND CLOXHINO 7 

South China in the winter and visit the Yangtsze Valley and 
the North in the spring or autumn, No section of China can 
be called particularly comfortable in summer. The rainfall 
increases as one journeys southward, the annual average (1874 
to 1909) being 84 inches in Hongkong, 44 in Shanghai and 25 
in Peking. The summers on the sea coast are very moist 
adding to the discomforts of the heated season. The mean 
humidity at Shanghai is 80 and at Hongkong 'j'j. Mould will 
form on shoes, clothing and leather bags unless aired in the 
sun at every opportunity. There are typhoons in the South 
which occasionally reach as far North as Shanghai. In former 
years these atmospheric disturbances caused great damage to 
shipping and loss of life, but with improvements in weather 
reporting, ample warning of the approach of typhoons is now 
given and ships bound for threatened parts remain in port. 

Clothing that is easily washed is essential for the summer 
months, when except in the extreme north everyone is clad in 
white. The traveler need not equip himself with an outfit 
before leaving home, for on his arrival in China he will fmd 
numberless Chinese tailors ready to make up any garments he 
wants at about half the price he would pay in America, and at 
somewhat less than English prices. The local laundrymen will 
wash a suit of drill, duck or flannel for 7 to 10 cents.* The 
usual hotel charge for laundry is five cents for each piece, 
whether it be a handkerchief or a dress shirt. 

Many large shops and department stores will be found 
in Shanghai, Hongkong and Tientsin, where the traveler 
will be able to purchase almost any article he may require 
while there are few places which do not offer a small assort- 
ment of foreign clothing, toilet articles, etc. Foreign tailors 
and dressmakers are located in Shanghai, Peking, Tientsin and 
Hongkong for the service of those who are not satisfied with 
the Chinese. 

A sun helmet will be found almost indispensable in 
summer. The old resident's advice for the heated season is 



* Except where otherwise indicated all prices in this book are cx« 
pressed in Mexican currency. See paragraphs on "Money," page 9. 



8. HANDBOOK ^OU CHINA 3 

**Never walk when you can ride, and keep out of the sun," 
With ricshas or chairs at every corner, ready to carry yott 
w herever you want to go, this advice is easily followed. 

In the treaty port hotels, dinner dress is customary, but 
not indispessab)?. For the summer months^ the ordinary 
dress co^t or dinner jacket is replaced by a cool white duck 
garrtient known as a "mess jacket." 

Customs Houses.^-There are three kinds of customs houses 
in China — the Maritime Customs, which collects a 5% ad valorem 
duty on maritime exports and imports; the *'01d Customs 
Hous^'^s," which date from many centuries B. C. and levy 
certain duty and fees on inland traffic; and the Likin, a system 
of transit duties levied at various points in a rather irregular 
manner. In addition there is a duty levied at city gates, 
corresponding to the old octroi duty of France. Except for 
the octroi officials whom the traveler may meet? at the gates of 
Peking and a likin station at Tientsin, the only customs houses 
one comes in contact with are those under the foreign manage- 
ment of the Maritime Customs. These are located at all the 
treaty ports and until recent years the customs officials paid 
slight attention to the baggage of travelers. But with the 
success of efforts to stop the growth and importation of opium 
the temptation to smuggle the drug has become stronger and 
now all baggage is examined as a very necessary precautionary 
measure. No attempt is made to levy customs tax on personal 
efifects, but there is prohibition or restrictions on ihe importa- 
tion of opium, salt, fire arms, and ammunition. Travelers 
should note that the customs duty of China is uniformly levied 
on imports and exports and that if goods other than personal 
effects are taken out of the country it is necessary to pass them 
through the customs before they can be accepted by the 
shipping companies. 

Shopping. — Silks, porcelains, brasses, bronzes, cloisonne, 
embroideries, carved jade and ivory are only a few of the many 
beautiful things which can be purchased in Chinese shops, and, 
for the shopper who is willing to bargain, the prices will be 
satisfactorily cheap. It must be remembered that the dealer 
seldom has a fixed price for anything in stock. He expects to 



MONEY AND EXCHANGE 9 

sell for as high a price as possible, while the wise shopper will 
adopt the Chinese custom and use his wits to make the purchase 
as cheaply as possible. Bargaining is considered by the Chinese 
as indispensible in most business transactions. If a purchase 
is made through a professional guide one may be sure that the 
guide is adding to the shopkeeper*s price a commission for 
himself, which he will return later to collect. Even the most 
trusted house boys and personal servants are unable to resist 
this temptation to pick up a little extra money, while the go- 
between who often steps out of the crovvd to suggest a 
compromise price, does so with the tacit understanding^ between 
himself and the shopkeeper, that this price includes his 
commission. As a matter of fact this ^'squeeze" or commission 
system is recognized as more or less legitimate in Chinese 
business and if it did not exist much higher wages would be 
necessary. 

To these remarks there are several notable exceptions in 
the principal treaty ports, where enterprising Chinese have 
established stores catering especially for the foreign trade. 
At these places there is a fixed price and the goods are of 
dependable quality. This applies especially to jewelry, silk, 
and fur stores. In all cases, careful inquiry should be made 
of local foreign residents before making purchases of any 
great value. 

Peking is the great storehouse of fine Chinese curios and 
I he finest shops are to be found there. Shanghai perhaps 
ranks second, with some shops which rival those of Peking 
in the richness of their stocks. A rather different class of 
goods will be found in Hongkong, Canton and other southern 
ports where the offerings of old porcelain and other valuable 
art objects are not so numerous, but there are more interest- 
ing articles of modern manufacture than can be found in the 
northern ports. Some mention of the articles procurable in 
the various cities will be found in the following pages. 

Money and Exchange. — Several volumes might be written 
on the subject of Chinese currency without exhausting the 
subject. Although in foreign trade the unit is the tael, the 
unit in native transactions is the cash, the small copper coin 



10 HANDBOOK ^OR CHINA: 

with a hole in the middle. According to theory, which in no 
place squares with the practice, the coinage is as follows : 
loHao.. .. ,. .. .. I Cash or Li 

10 Cash I Candareen or Fen 

10 Candareen i Mace or Tsien 

10 Mace .. .. .. .. i Tael or Liang 

It is first necessary to explain that the system of coinage 
indicated by the above table does not exist except in this and 
in other books whose authors are reckless enough to attenipt 
an explanation of China's currency. Of the five coins 
mentioned only one, the cash exists. That is, they do not 
exist so far as the writer knows. He drew for several years 
a salary fixed at a certain number, of taels but never saw one 
of the coins. The Chinese tael is really nothing more than an 
ounce of silver of a certain degree of fineness which is 
different in almost every locality. The Shanghai tael which 
is fairly well known in all parts of the country is worth at the 
time this is written about $i.6o (U. S. currency,) or 8 shillings. 
The gold value, of course, fluctuates daily with the quotation 
on silver. A few years ago the tael was worth about half of its 
present gold value. While the gold value of the unit fluctuates 
dizzily there is often an equal fluctuation between the tael and 
the copper cash. In commenting on this variability in Chinese 
currency the well informed author of Chinese Characteristics 
says : 

/' The system is everywhere a decimal onC; whicn is the 
easiest of all systems to be reckoned, but no one is ever sure 
until he has made particular inquiries, what number of pieces 
of brass cash are expected in any particular place to pass for a 
hundred. He will not need to extend his travels over a very 
large part of the eighteen provinces to find that this number 
varies, and varies with a lawlessness that nothing can explain, 
from the full hundred which is the theoretical string, to gg, 
98, 96, 83 (as in the capital of Shansi), down to 33, as in the 
eastern part of the province of Chihli, and possibly to a still 
lower number elsewhere. The same is true, but in a more 
aggravated degree, of the weight by which silver is sold. No 
two places have the same ounce, unless by accident, and each 



MONEY AND EXCHANGE 11 

place has a great variety of different ounces, to the extretne 
bewilderment of the stranger, the certain loss of all except 
those who deal in silver, and the endless vexation of all 
honest persons, of whom there are many, even in China." 

The common mediums of exchange in the interior were 
until a few years ago the strings of copper cash and lumps of 
silver. The latter are known to the Chinese as ''sycee'* a term 
which is applied 'to all uncoined silver used as money. It 
means "fine silk" as the silver when heated can he drawn out 
in fine silk like threads. The Dutch who came first called 
these lumps of silver schuyt or boat because of the resemb- 
lance to a common Chinese boat. Other Europeans who came 
later changed the Dutch word to *'shoe." Every native bank is 
equipped with scales on which the shoe of silver is weighed 
to determine its value in taels. It is then exchanged for copper 
cash with which the small purchases of the country are made. 

Happily for the traveler, he need not concern himself 
with this currency unless he intends going far into the interior. 
When the foreigners began to settle in the treaty ports, they 
objected to a currency system which required them to carry 
about five or ten pound lumps of silver as spending money. 
To avoid this, they introduced the Mexican, and other silver 
dollars and the former remains the standard currency of most 
ports. Its value, like that of the tael, is determined by the 
market price of silver. Before the Great War '^t was usually 
exchangeable at two Mexican for one American or Canadian 
dollar or ten for one pound sterling. Since the war the 
Mexican dollar has come to be worth more than the American 
dollar, owing to the increased value of silver. Local foreign 
banks issue paper notes payable in Mexican dollars. Prices 
at hotels and stores are quoted in dollars, while all large 
business transactions, professional fees, etc. are in taels. 
Usually the two are exchangeable at a rate of about four dol- 
lars for three taels. 

While the Mexican dollar is standard at Shanghai the 
Spanish dollar and a number of dollars of provincial coinage 
are standard at other places, and in some cities several kinds 
of dollars will be found in circulation, all of them at different 



12 HANDBOOK ?0R CHINA 

values. Recently a Chinese dollar containing the same weight 
of silver as the Mexican dollar has been issued by Chinese 
mints and it is rapidly becoming popular in all parts of the 
country. Inquiry should be made as to the currency accept- 
able at each place, and the traveler should buy only enough 
local currency to supply his needs. The bank notes issued 
locally by the various banks will not be exchanged in other 
cities ex<;ept at a heavy discount. 

In addition to this dollar currency, smaller silver coins of 
a nominal value of ten and twenty cents and copper coins 
representing ten cash are in circulation. But it must always 
be remembered that a coin in China represents nothing more 
than the actual market value of the metal it contains. Thus a 
few years ago a Mexican dollar would be exchanged for less 
than 100 of the large Chinese coppers. At the time this is 
written, with the price of copper lower, the dollar is exchange- 
able for about 120 coppers, and you will receive 11 coppers for 
each silver ten cent piece. At the money changer's you will 
receive for a dollar five 20 cent pieces, one 10 cent piece and 
two to four coppers. 

These small coins are accepted, usually, on all purchases 
less than fifty cents, but many shopkeepers, take advantage 
of exchange. For instance, if you make a ten cent purch*t>se 
in Shanghai and tender a Mexican dollar in payment, yo:t 
will receive only 90 cents in change. But if you first have 
your dollar changed into small money, you will be able to make 
the purchase and have more than 100 cents remaining. 

This disparity between the dollar value and cent value in 
China helps to perpetuate the chit system. At all hotels, the 
traveler will be asked to sign chits for papers, cigars, etc. If 
he paid cash for these articles as he purchased them, he would 
pay for them in "small money'' that is, small silver coins and 
coppers. But when he settles his bill at the end of his stay, 
the amount is reckoned in ''large money," and he pays 10 to 2a 
per cent more than if he had made cash purchases. 

When you offer your dollar to the money changer or the 
shopkeeper, he will bang it violently on the counter, and, if not 
satisfied with the result, subject it to further tests. In the 



HUNTING 



13 



banks expert Chinese clerks juggle Mexican<lollars so rapidly 
that the eye can scarcely follow their movements, and they 
throw out a spurious coin each time there is a discord in the 
silver harmony. The traveler would do well to learn the 
difference between the sound of silver, brass and lead, for 
there are many counterfeit coins in circulation. If the coin 
gives forth a brassy sound, place it in a shallow basin covered 
with spirits. Touch a match to the spirits and when the flame 
has died down you will find your dollar has been melted into 
three pieces. The face of the coin had been removed and a 
hollow scooped out of the center and filled with brass to give 
it the proper weight. Then the face was soldered back, the 
coin presenting a surface of pure silver and the correct weight. 
This is the famous ''three piece dollar," and its existence offers 
a striking commentary on the cheapness of the labor of the 
skilled Chinese artisan who finds it worth while to undertake 
such tedious work for the sake of the few cents* worth of silver 
he is able to filch from the bowels of the coin. 

When the money-changer gives you silver dollars in 
exchange for bank-notes, he will carefully stamp each dollar 
with his own **chop" or trade-mark. If in Shanghai, the chop 
will be applied with a rubber stamp. In Canton, it will be put 
on with a steel die, the constant use of which will, in time, 
deface the original marks of the coin and give it a cup shape. 
This chop is the money-changer's guarantee that the coin is 
genuine. If it proves otherwise, return it to him and he will 
make good the guarantee his chop implies. 

Travelers are advised to carry with them, even if they 
have the usual letter of credit, a certain amount of funds in 
travelers* checks or circular notes issued by well-known banks. 
These checks can always be cashed at hotels or on board a 
steamer and will often be found convenient. The banks in 
the Far East observe so many holidays that sometimes one is 
subject to vexatious delays while waiting for the banks to 
resume business before being able to replenish funds. 

Hunting. — Wild game abounds in all parts of China, and 
this, the most thickly populated of countries, offers many 
opportunities for the sportsman. Doubtless this is due to th« 



14 HANDBOOK ^OR CHINA 

fact that the purchase of firearms by Chinese has been severely 
restricted and the only game they secure is by means of 
primitive traps. A shooting expedition can best be arranged 
in connection with a houseboat trip. The section reached by 
houseboat or by the Shanghai-Nanking railv^ay from Shanghai 
is a favorite one for hunters. The pheasant is the most 
common game in China and is to be found in nearly all parts of 
the country^ particularly along the Yangtsze river. Bamboo 
partridge, sand grouse, duck and snipe are to be found in large 
numbers and add variety to the day's game bag. Writing of a 
trip through Shensi in the winter months, a correspondent of 
the London Times says : "Nine deer, two wolves and scores 
of pheasants were shot from the roadside. Pheasants were so 
plentiful that the muleteers were often seen flicking them off 
the road with their whips. Ninety were once counted on a 
small patch of ground a stone's throw distant." Tigers and 
panthers have been killed within ten miles of Foochow and 
many wild pigs are to be found in Chekiang. Strict regulations 
forbid the importation of firearms into China, but do not apply 
to sportsmen, who are only required to register their arms at 
the Consulate. 

References for further reading: ** Shooting in China" by 
T,R. Jernigan; H. T. Wade in ''With Boat and Gun in the 
Yangtze Valley." 

Servants. — Chinese servants are justly famous all over the 
world, and nearly everyone who visits China goes away to add 
to the praise which is accorded them. With some exceptions 
the servant is patient and industrious and loyal to his employer. 
He will work long hours without complaining, seems never to 
require any time to sleep, eat or rest and no matter what 
storms may rage over the household, he is usually cheerful and 
smiling. Without being told he learns all the requirements of 
the household and the likes and dislikes of the master and 
mistress. Often he learns these all too well for if one ever 
expresses a liking, let us say, for beefsteak and kidney pie, he 
will find beefsteak and kidney pie on the table at every meal 
and will find it difficult to convince the servant that what may 
be acceptable as an occasional dish is very objectionable as a 



SERVANTS 15 

Steady diet. The servant usually tries to make himself 
indispensable to his employer and often succeeds. No matter 
how much one may determine not to do so he rarely avoids 
being spoiled by the Chinese boy, and when he returns to lands 
less well supplied with servants, will often long for the 
blue-gowned boy of the China coast. 

The Chinese servant will never ask for a day off, but on 
rare occasions finds it necessary to go to some distant place to 
worship at the ancestral shrine. In this event the master will 
find his regular servant replaced by another who apparently 
knows the needs of the household as well as if he had been in 
it a year instead of a day. If the servant is treated kindly, 
he responds with unswerving loyalty and it is the rule rather 
than the exception that a bond of real affection forms between 
master and servant. 

As a final good quality of Chinese servants, it may be 
mentioned that they are very cheap. A good house boy may 
be employed at a maximum wage of $r6 monthly, and an 
excellent cook for $14. Coolies are content with $12, and 
amahs, who do the work of maids or nurses at $15 to $20. 
Out of these wages the servants will furnish their own food, 
clothing and quarters though it is customary for them to live 
on the premises. There is a very sharp line dividing the duties 
of different servants and though the foreigner will often find 
this annoying, he will do well to accept it rather than to try to 
break down customs which had crystallized for centuries before 
he was born. The house-boy who so willingly works all day 
and half the night will not carry a parcel through the street, 
for that is what is termed "coolie pidgin," and the boy or cook 
cannot perform the task without losing face. As master of 
that most important part of the household, the kitchen, the 
cook insists on and is usually granted certain privileges, among 
them being the domination of the other servants. The coolie 
expects as a matter of right to have all the old bottles around 
the place and would probably not stay long with a master 
thrifty enough to dispose of them himself. 

Admirable as the Chinese servant is in every other way, 
he has one fault. He thinks it is his special privilege to 



16 HANDBOOK tOR CHINA 

" squeeze " his master on all purchases made. He will collect 
commissions from the tailor, the laundryman, and all others 
with whom his master has any dealings. This system of com- 
missions and petty grafting is so ingrained in custom, that no 
foreigner need attempt to combat it. A little sternness now 
and then will keep it within bounds. 

The hotels furnish servants for all their guests, but when 
a prolonged stay is intended, visitors often employ additional 
servants. An intelligent boy, who will find his own food, 
lodging and clothing on a monthly wage of $i6, will add a 
great deal to the pleasure of a visit. Steamship and railway 
lines offer special cheap rates for servants, who may accompany 
the traveler at slight additional cost. However, few Chinese 
boys are of any great value in traveling, most of them being 
helpless when taken away from home. 

Transportation.— Considering its vast area, China's five 
thousand miles of railway cannot be considered to cover the 
country very thoroughly, but as the railways connect the prin- 
cipal points the mileage is ample to meet the requirements of 
the average traveler. Though ail the lines are included in the 
system known as the Chinese Government Railways, some of 
them are under the management of foreigners approved 
by the foreign bondholders who furnished money for the con- 
struction. With the usual exceptions, travel on the express 
trains in China will be found comfortable and satisfactory. 
Sleeping cars and dining car accommodations are to be had on 
all long journeys, as between Shanghai and Peking, but the 
traveler should always make sure that he is taking the right 
train as neither meals nor beds are to be had on some of the 
ordinary mail trains. On some of the most important lines 
the check system of handling baggage is in vogue and trunks 
may be checked through to destination. On other lines the 
passenger must look after his own baggage. Plenty of porters 
will always be found to carry baggage to and from trains but 
he is wise who leaves this to the hotel runner's management. 

As foreigners came to China long before its railways 
were built, the lines of foreign settlement followed the coast 
and the navigable rivers. To this circumstance is due the fact 



TRANSPORTATION - 17 

that nearly every port of China in which foreigners reside, 
>\hich are also the ports which travelers will want to visit, 
may be reached by one of the many coast or river steamship 
lines. The sailings are frequent and though the boats are 
small, most of them are comfortable and set a satisfactory 
table. On the smaller streams steam launch lines have been 
established connecting the larger ports v^ath hundreds of 
smaller towns. 

In the treaty ports the ricsha is the most popular means of 
getting about. Its invention is credited to an American mis- 
sionary named Globe w^ho while living near Yokohama in 1869 
converted a baby carriage into a vehicle in which his invalid 
wife could travel about. From this modest beginning the ricsha 
has spread to all parts of the Far East, except Manila, and may 
be found as far distant as South Africa. Its full name is jin- 
riki-sha and its Japanese etymology is given as jin, man ; 
rikiy power; sha, vehicle, or, literally, man-power-vehicle. 
Foreigners on the China coast have robbed the name of its 
first syllable and call it rikisha while some who live in Japan 
rob it of its last and call it jinriki. Only newcomers dignify it 
with its full name. 

The first class ricshas in the principal cities are equipped 
with rubber tires, and are very comfortable. The charges 
vary in each place, but average about 40 cents an hour, 80 
cents a half day, or $1.50 for a whole day. Treaty port re- 
sidents use them for short trips about town, paying about 15 
cents a mile, and five and ten cents for shorter trips. Never 
make the mistake of asking the coolie what the fare should be. 
He wnll immediately know that yon are a stranger and de- 
mand five times the legal fare. Very frequently the coolie 
will demand a dollar for a trip from the steamer landing to 
the hotel when the correct charge is 10 or 15 cents. If you 
over-pay him your reputation for prodigality will soon spread, 
and you will be bothered during your entire stay by excessive 
demands. The cheerful ricsha coolie is crafty, and one of his 
favorite tricks is quickly to replace the coin you have given 
him with a counterfeit, which he will insist you have given 
him. If you argue with him, he will enjoy nothing better, as it 



18 HANDBOOK FOR CHINA 

gives him an Opportunity to show off his gift of repartee to 
the crowd which always assembles, and you are at a dis- 
advantage in not knowing Chinese billingsgate. Pay him what 
you think is right and then walk away. 

Carriages of various degrees of comfort are to be found 
in the principal ports, at a practically uniform charge of $[ 
an hour, $3 for a half day, or $5 for a whole day. These 
rates apply to carriages with Mongolian ponies. At a higher 
price, horse carriages may be obtained. The traveler who, 
on his arrival, is inclined to criticise the appearance of 
these carriages in the principal cic.es, will, after an acquaint- 
ance, with the wrecks in the smaller interior places, find the 
more elegant vehicles of the large ports highly satisfactory. 
No matter what the style of the equipage, the mafoo, or 
driver, will always expect a tip, though he seldom deserves 
it. It should be very small. 

In the larger ports, of recent years, motor cars have almost 
driven public carriages from the streets. This is especially 
true in Shanghai, Tientsin and Peking, where the former 
long lines of carriages have disappeared and the advent of 
motor cars has made radical changes in street traffic. Rates 
for cars vary from two or three dollars an hour upward, 
while special rates are provided for excursions, such as from 
Peking to the Western Hills, etc. 

In the Chinese cities, the streets are often too narrow for 
richas and sedan chairs are generally used. Travel in 
them is not very comfortable, but offers a novel experience. 
Rates vary, but a rate based on $r a day for each coolie em- 
ployed will be especially liberal. Donkeys will be found useful 
in Nanking, Soochow and other cities. The rate should be 
settled with the donkey driver before starting out. It will pre- 
vent a stormy scene at the end of the journey. 

Houseboats, wheelbarrows, mountain chairs, palanquins 
and Several styles of mule carts are among the many means 
of transportation which one may find and use in China, when 
he leaves the railways. It would be impossible to give any 
general rates which would apply in all parts of the country, 
or at any one place during all seasons, for the tariff is usually 



TRANSPORTATION 19 

what the traffic will bear. The ever valuable old resident 
must be called upon to supply the information. In any event 
it will be well, in all transactions of this sort, especially in 
case of journeys of any length, to bear in mind the following 
excellent advice given by Dr. Arthur H. Smith in his Chinese 
Characteristics. 

"Of all subjects of human interest in China, the one 
which most needs to be guarded against misunderstanding 
is money. If the foreigner is paying out this commodity 
(which often appears to be the principal function of the 
foreigner as seen from the Chinese standpoint) a future- 
perfect tense is *a military necessity.* /When you shall have 
done your work, you will receive your money.' *But there is 
no future-perfect tense in Chinese, or tense of any descrip- 
tion. A Chinese simply says_, *Do work, get money,* the last 
being the principal idea which dwells in his mind, the 'time 
relation* being absent. Hence when he is to do anything for 
a foreigner he wishes his money at once, in order that he may 
*eat,* the presumption being that if he had not stumbled on the 
job of this foreigner he would never have eaten any more ! 
Eternal vigilance, we must repeat, is the price at which 
immunity from misunderstandings about money is to be 
purchased in China. Who is and who is not to receive it, at 
what times, in what amounts, whether in silver ingots or brass 
cash, what quality and weight of the former, what number of 
the latter shall pass as a 'string' — these and other like points 
are those in regard to which it is morally impossible to have 
a too definite and fixed understanding. If the matter be a con- 
tract in which a builder, a compradore, or a boatman is to 
do on his part certain things and furnish certain articles, 
no amount of preliminary precision and exactness in explana- 
tions will come amiss." 

The observant traveler will at once note the absence of 
roads in China, especially south of the Yangtsze River. Around 
Canton, and in many other places in the Southern provinces the 
many natural waterways have been improved by the ad- 
dition of connecting canals until the country is covered with 
a criss-cross of water routes affording a means of transporta- 



20 HANDBOOK FOR CHINA 

tion more economical than the best of roads. These natural 
water routes and canals exist in nearly all parts of the country 
and afford a satisfactory explanation for the absence of roads. 
They also explain why, in Southern China, there is very little 
wheeled traffic. In the mountainous districts neither canals 
nor roads can be built and instead there are narrow footpaths, 
cargo being transporte<i on the shoulders of coolies. 

China was at one time equipped with an excellent system 
of highways, there being roads leading from Peking to Sianfu 
(1500 miles) to Tientsin, Kalgan and other points. Systems 
of roads also centered at Kaif eng, Tsinanfu, Foochow, Canton, 
Yunnan, Chengtu and Lanchow. These thoroughfares, which 
formerly covered the main trade arteries of the country, have 
been left for many centuries to take care of themselves. Rest 
houses and bridges which remain, as well as the records of 
history, attest to the one time magnificence of these highways. 
They were 20 to 25 feet wide and paved with large stone blocks. 
But the blocks have turned on edge or been appropriated for 
use elsewhere and little remains of the old system. The wheel- 
ed carts of North China would soon cut to pieces any road 
not kept in constant repair. Through centuries of use and 
misuse the roads have been worn down until often the road 
bed is 6 to 10 feet below the surface level of the surrounding- 
country. In rainy seasons these roads became water courses 
and according to one well knowm writer on China, instances 
of wayfarers having been drowned in the roads are not un- 
known. Of recent years there has been an awakening interest 
in the building of roads, and although nothing in the nature 
of a national system has been undertaken, many good modern 
roads have been built for short distances from important 
towns. 

Books on China. — One finds the selection of a list of 
books on China a difficult task, not because of a scarcity of 
publications, but because of the very large number of books 
on the subject. The interest of the country has inspired the 
production of books by men and women of many nationalities 
for several centuries and a complete bibliography would make 
a volume several times the size of this handbook. In 1917 



BOOKS ON CHINA 21- 

Millard's Review (Shanghai) offered a series of prizes for the 
best list of books on China and a large number of lists were 
submitted. Rev. F. L. Hawks Pott, who acted as one of the 
judges of the contest made up a list of '*Most popular books 
on China/' the list consisting of the books most mentioned by 
the contestants. The list contained the following : 

General and Introductory 

*'The Changing Chinese," E. A. Ross. Century Co., New 
York, 1912. It is a study of the conflict of Oriental and Wes- 
tern Cultures in China; the views of a famous sociologist. 

''The Middle Kingdom," S. Wells Williams. Scribner's 
Sons, New York, 1882. Revised edition, 1907. This is a 
standard work which still holds an authoritative position. 

''China, An Interpretation." James W. Bashford. Abing- 
don Press, New York, 1916. A general view of present day 
China from ..le point of view of an able missionary statesman. 

Manners and Customs 

"Chinese Characteristics." A. H. Smith. Fleming H. 
Revell Co., New York. This book, first published in 1894, has 
run through many editions. It is not only the most popular 
book on China, but one of the most widely read books of its 
kind ever published. 

History 

"A Sketch of Chinese History." F. L. Hawks-Pott. 
Kelly & Walsh, Shanghai. Revised edition, 1915. An excel- 
lent condensed outline for introductory study. 

"Outlines of Chinese Histor3^■" Li Ung Beng, Commercial 
Press, Shanghai, 1914. An interesting exposition of Chinese 
history from the point of view of a Chinese. 

"China Under the Empress Dowager." J. O. P. Bland 
and E. Backhouse. Wm. Heineman, London, 1910. This is 
a fascinating story of the life of the last great Manchu ruler. 

Political Relations 

"Intellectual and Political Currents in the Far East," Paul 
S. Reinsch. Houghton, Mifliin Co., New York, 1911. An 



22 HANDBOOK FOR CHINA 

authoritative discussion of a very complex question by a well 
known authority. 

"Our Eastern Question." Thos. F. Millard. The Cen- 
tury Co., New York, 1916. This book was written primarily 
for Americans. It contains striking and convincing argu- 
ments on the relations of China, Japan and America. 

Finance 

''The New Atlas, and Commercial Gazeteer of China.** 
North China Daily News & Herald, Shanghai. 

RELIGIONS 

"The Three Religions of China." W.E. Soothill. Hodder 
& Stoughton, Ivondon, 1913. An interesting, popular presen- 
tation of Buddhism, Taoism and Confucianism. 

*'The Religion of the Chinese.*' J. J. M. de Groot. Mac- 
Millan's, New York, 1912. This is a series of lectures giving 
a summary of the contents of hir, longer work, *'The Re- 
ligious Systems of China*' which was published in Six volumes. 

Missions 

"China Mission Year Book,** a volume published annually 
by the Christian Literature Society, Shanghai. It contains 
much interesting information regarding the social progress of 
the Chinese. 

Education 

"The Chinese System of Public Education.** P. W. Kuo. 
Commercial Press, Shanghai, 191 5. This sketch of the history 
of education in China with a discussion of present day prob- 
lems was originally written as a thesis at Columbia Univer- 
sity. 

"Educational Directory of China,** an annual publication 
issued by Edward Evans & Sons, Shanghai, giving detailed 
information and statistics. 

Art 

'•'Chinese Art,** Stephen W. Bushell. Victoria and Albert 
Museum, London, 1904. This is a standard work giving a. 
general survey of the subject. 



BOOKS ON CHINA 21 

"The China Year Book/' an annual edited by H. T. Mon- 
tague Bell and H. G. \V. Woodhead. George Routledge and 
Sons, London. E. P. Button & Co., New York. A reference 
book of great value. 

^'Things Chinese," J. Dyer Ball. Kelly & Walsh, Hong- 
kong, 1903 (fourth edition). Although this is generally classed 
as a reference book, it is one of the most interesting works on 
China. From Abacus to Zoology it is a mine of information. 

^'Village Life in China.'* A. H. Smith. Fleming H. Revell 

6 Co., New York. By many this is considered superior to the 
better known '"Chinese Characteristics" by the same author. 

*Xegge's Chinese Classics." The original text and Eng- 
lish translations by James Legge. Oxford University Press, 

7 volumes. A monumental work which has never been sur- 
passed in its field. 

'The Lore of Cathay." W. A. P. Martin. Oliphant, 
Anderson and Ferrier, Edinburgh and London, 1901. An 
exposition of the intellectual life of the Chinese as revealed to 
a famous educationalist who spent almost his entire life in 
China. 

''China; Travels in the Middle Kingdom,'' J. H. Wilson. 
D. Appleton and Co., New York. 

The prize winning list in the contest conducted by Mil- 
lard's Review listed several other books which should not be 
overlooked by anyone undertaking a serious study of China. 
Among them are: 

"The Trade and Administration of the Chinese Empire." 
H.B. Morse. Longmans, Green and Co., New Yc rk, 1908, and 
'The Guilds of China" by the same author and brought out by 
the same publishers a year later. Both are standard works. 

^'Farmers of Forty Centuries," F.H.King. MacMillan 
Co., New York. The authoritative work on the agriculture of 
the Far East. 

''Richard's Comprehensive Geography of the Chinese 
Empire." Translated and revised by M. Kennelly. Tusewei 
; Press, Shanghai, 1908. Certainly the best geography of the 
country. 



24 HANDBOOK FOR CHINA 

* Encyclopaedia Sinica." Samuel Couling. Kelly & Walsh, 
Shanghai, 1917. A larger, more ambitious and more modern 
work than "Things Chinese/' ?: 

♦'Outlines of Chinese Art/' Dr. John C Ferguson. The 
University of Chicago Press. An authoritative interpretation 
of Chinese art by one of the greatest living authorities. 

Having gone this far in selecting a list of books, it is 
difficult to find a stopping place, for there are many other 
books which deserve mention and recommendation. Putnam 
Weale's "Indiscreet Letters from Peking" is only one of a 
number of interesting books by this author, one of the best 
informed of present writers about China. The Princess Der 
Ling's "Two Years in the Forbidden City'* is an intimate and 
very interesting description of life in court circles of Peking 
during the latter years of the Manchu regime. As this is 
being written there appears "Peking" by Juliet Bredon, a 
fascinating book on the capital which should be read by 
everyone who is interested in that wonderful city.. 

Those who are interested in the Chinese language should 
possess a copy of "The Chinese Language and How to Learn 
it" by Hillier, a book which will be found of great interest 
even by those who do not care to go ahead with a study of the 
language. Among the books dealing in an authoritative way 
with special subjects in China may be mentioned "Chinese 
Forest Trees and Timber Supply" by Norman Shaw. Those 
who have read the foregoing list of books will doubtless find 
that they have become interested iu some special phase of 
study. They can find no greater storehouse of information 
than that contained in the annual publications of the North 
China Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society, Shanghai. They 
are for sale by Kelly & Walsh. 

Calendar. — Officially, China has adopted the western 
calendar. A resolution putting the western calendar into 
effect was adopted in November 191 1 and when Dr. Sun Yat 
Sen took his oath of office as President of China on January i, 
1912, it was officially recorded as "the first day of the first 
year of the Chinese Republic." Since that time all official 
documents have been marked with European dates, but in 



HOTELS AND INNS 25 

private life and in business contracts the old customs still 
prevail. The Chinese year is lunar, the new year faljing on 
*'the first new moon after the sun enters Aquarius, which 
makes it come not before January 21st, nor after February 
19th.'' The months being lunar, twelve of them do not make 
365 days and this discrepancy is made up by the insertion of 
an occasional intercalary month, making 13 in the year, an 
occasion for joy on the part of landlords and others who 
collect their incomes by the moon. 

The one important holiday of the year comes at New 
Year time when all shops are closed and all who can do so 
quit work entirely for a week or more. 

Hotels and Inns. — European or American style hotels 
will be found in all the cities usually visited by foreign 
travelers ; these hotels ranging in size from the large foreign 
establishments of Hongkong, Peking or Shanghai to modest 
places under Chinese management in the cities less visited by 
foreigners. All foreign hotels in China are conducted on the 
American plan, providing an inclusive charge for rooms, 
meals and the usual service. This charge will be found to 
range from $5 (Mexican) per day upward, though $8 is the 
more customary minimum charge. The daily tariff includes 
the usual three meals a day, and, in addition, afternoon tea 
and an early breakfast consisting of tea, toast and fruit, 
served in the room. With an increasing number of travelers 
to China each year, the hotels of the principal ports are often 
crowded to capacity and it is advisable to make arrangements 
in advance as far as possible. 

In addition to the hotels which cater to foreign tastes 
alone, there is an increasing number of Chinese inns which 
are becohiing Europeanized, serving what they fondly believe 
to be foreign style meals. Some of these are quite satis- 
factory. The food served at others is a ghastly travesty on 
the five course table d'hote which all Chinese cooks believe to 
be necessary to the sustenance of the foreign life. 

At most steamier landings and railway stations hotel 
runners will be found to take charge of baggage. A small 
charge is made for this service. Unless one makes special 



26 HANDBOOK FOR CHINA 

demands on the servants, tips at all hotels in China may be 
confined to the dining rSoni boy, room boy and coolie. If 
much entertaining is done and special dinners ordered, the 
head waiter, known as ''the number one dining room boy" will 
expect a tip. Each one must decide the amount of these tips 
for himself, but as a basis for the calculation it should be 
remembered that a Mexican dollar represents about two days' 
wages for the average hotel servant. 

If one leaves the regularly traveled routes of China» 
marked by railway and steamship lines and foreign hotels, he 
should be equipped either with letters of introduction or with 
an interpreter and a competent staff of servants. With a few 
letters of introduction, the stranger may travel to nearly 
every part of China and find a hospitable welcome at mission 
stations and foreigners* messes. Where these are not avail- 
able, the Chinese inn will always be found. It will at least 
afford shelter and an opportunity to prepare the food which 
the prudent traveler will carry with him. However, it should 
be thoroughly understood that no trip away from the main 
traveled routes should be lightly undertaken. The traveler 
who goes in for a trip of this kind without adequate reason 
and complete preparation deserves the trouble and incon- 
veniences he will undoubtedly meet. 

Brigands, Pirates and Rebellions. — For the beneiit of 
timid persons who may forego the pleasure of a visit to China 
because of alarming stories it may be well to point out that 
these dangers are very small. It should be remembered 
that China covers a very large territory, and brigands may 
ravage some parts of it without in any way disturbing the 
sections ordinarily visited by foreigners. All in all, travel is 
as safe in China as in any other part of the world. * Robbers 
and pirates exist, of course, and there is usually a revolution 
or rebellion going on in some part of the country, but these 
things add zest rather than danger to the journey. 

Guides. — In places where a guide is necessary, it is always 
advisable to secure one from the hotel or through one of the 
offices of Messrs. Thos. Cook & Son. The plausible gentry 
who hang about hotel entrances and gates of native cities 



FOOD AND DRINK 



27 



:should be given a wide berth. Many of them are not guides 
at all, but runners from curio stores sent to lure the unwary 
traveler to a reckless purchase. The letters of recom- 
mendation they frequently carry have been loaned to them by 
a friend_,or rented for the occasion. The advice of any guide 
as to purchases should be accepted with a great deal of caution, 
for according to universal custom he is entitled to a com- 
mission on sales and it is to his interest to lead to shops where 
the commission is the highest. It is not an unknown occur- 
rence for the guide and the shopkeeper to take advantage of 
the tourist's ignorance of the language and arrange the terms 
of the commission in his presence while pretending to be 
haggling over the price. 

The payment for guides ranges from $1.50 to $3.00 per 
day, to which must be added transportation and other 
traveling expenses. If the guide is discharged away from his 
place of employment the expenses of his homeward journey 
must be paid. 

The many who dislike being personally conducted will 
find a ricsha coolie who speaks a little English quite valuable, 
and in many ways more satisfactory than a guide. The coolie 
takes delight in showing off his accomplishments and is glad to 
act as interpreter* Some try the experiment of taking a 
servant with them throughout a trip, to act as interpreter, 
guide and general handy man. Though the venture is some- 
times successful it is more often a failure^ for the average 
Chinese servant, capable as he may be at home, is usually 
quite useless on a journey, and, instead of caring for his 
master, needs quite a little looking after himself. To this 
general statement it must be added that there are quite a 
number of experienced travel servants some of whom have 
accompanied travelers on the usual railway and steamship 
lines while others have done duty on the less traveled routes in 
the interior. In every case, letters of recommendation should 
be demanded and verified. 

Food and Drink. — The foreigner in China will miss few 
of the luxuries of food to which he is accustomed at home 
and will find many new delicacies he cannot procure in any 



28 HANDBOOK fOR CHINA 

Other count^5^ Nearly every variety of vegetable known in 
Europe or America is cultivated in China and in addition 
there are many native foods which it is a delight to know. 
One will seldom find the American grape fruit served in China, 
but he will cease to regret its absence after he has made the 
acquaintance of the pumelo. Persimmons as large as tomatoes 
may be had by all who care for them. Delicious mangoes, 
reminding many of the Missouri pawpaw, are served ice cold 
for breakfast during the season. The lychee, or lichee, which 
is exported in large quantities, is equally delicious whether 
eaten fresh, dried or canned. All the year round the fruit 
stands of China will be found fully stocked with a variety of 
fruits. Indeed while other countries can offer superior 
quality, few have the variety of fruit all the year round that 
can be secured in China. 

China is especially rich in poultry and game. Pheasant, 
duck^ quail, rice birds, snipe and venison appear almost daily 
on the bills of fare during the season. Many of these articles 
of food, which might be accounted luxuries in other places, 
are very cheap in China. 

One bit of advice which the traveler will hear over and 
over again is that he should not eat any food which has r.ot 
been thoroughly cooked and should especially avoid green 
salads. This is good advice though one will often see it 
ignored by old residents with no apparent ill effects. It ap- 
pears that the old resident may, without harm to himself, do 
many things which would send the newcomer to the doctor. 
Even the old resident is careful about the water he drinks and 
will have none which he is not certain has been both filtered 
and boiled. As the traveler cannot always be certain that this 
has been done, he will be wise to drink none but bottled waters, 
of which he will find a wide variety on sale everywhere. The 
Chinese themselves seldom drink water, but consume huge 
quantities of weak tea which has been made with boiling water. 
As regards alcoholic drinks, no country offers a wider variety 
or cheaper prices. 

Pidgin English. — When the first British and American 
traders visited the coast of China they found a great barrier 



PIDGIN ENGLISH 29 

to intercourse with the natives existed in the ignorance of 
each other's language. A long period of study is required of 
a foreigner to gain even a working knowledge of one Chinese 
dialect. This difficulty was overcome through the use of 
pidgin or business English. ''Pidgin'* represents the Chinese 
attempt to pronounce the word business and Pidgin English 
means business English. This language consists of several 
hundred English words, adapted to Chinese pronunciation and 
used without regard to English grammar, but as they would be 
in a Chinese phrase. In fact the language originated through 
attempts of the Chinese to make word-for-word translations 
from Chinese into English, expressing the sounds of English 
words by means of Chinese characters. Early trading at Can- 
ton was carried on largely by representatives of the East India 
Company, who, coming to China from India, brought with 
them a few Hindustani words which add picturesqueness to the 
pidgin English glossary. Recently many attacks have been made 
on this jargon, especially by cultured Chinese, and it is believed 
that it will eventually disappear just as it has in Japan. But for 
the present, except for the small class of foreigners who speak 
Chinese and Chinese who have a foreign education, pidgin Eng- 
lish is the only means of communication between Chinese and 
foreigners. It is often used between Chinese themselves, for 
when two from different Southern provinces meet, each finds dif- 
ficult}^ in understanding the local dialect spoken by the other. It 
was used to a great extent in the recent revolution by officers 
of the Republican army, who, brought together from all parts 
of the South, communicated with each other through pidgin. 

There are many parts of China where pidgin English is 
unknown, but the traveler will find that a knowledge of the 
jargon, which is picked up in a few days, will suffice for all 
his needs so long as he remains in the treaty ports or on the 
usual traveled routes. Interpreters will be needed on any 
trip into the interior. 

Owing to the great difference in local dialects it is 
obviously impossible to include in this volume the usual list 
of useful sentences found in a guide book^ for they would be 
found useful only in the locality for which they were prepared. 



3Q, HANDBOOK FOR CHINA 

In pidgin English, one word usually does the work oi 
several, the jargon, like the Chinese language, being uninflected. 
For instance my is used for I, me, my, mine, our, ours, and 
we. He expresses he, she, it or they. Catchee is a modifi- 
cation of the English word catch, signifying ownership or 
acquisition. *'He have catchee one piecee wife'' means "He 
has married. '* Belongee is the English word belong, as 
pronounced by the Chinese, and has a variety of meanings. 
*'What side you belong f means "Where do you live?'* 
*'He belongee too muchee boilum tea'' means "He has boiled 
the tea too long." Can do is used for yes, or as a form of 
interrogation. The Chinese servant will seldom use the word 
yes, and when he does use it, he often means no. There is no 
word for yes or no in the Chinese language. Maskee is 
a very useful word which means all right, correct, never 
mind, however, but, anyhow, and nevertheless. Chop chop is 
equivalent to hurry— seldom met with in China. Chop, when 
used alone, means trademark, brand, or name. ''Number one 
f/?o/?" means ^'first-class quality." Walkee is used for all forms 
of travel motion or progress. Not only men and horses, but 
boats, birds and wagons walkee. Chit is a letter, but more often 
it is the memorandum of indebtedness which you sign at the 
hotel or club. Cumshaw is a tip or present. It need not be 
large, but is always expected. If you eat a meal in a Chinese 
restaurant, ten per cent will be added to your bill as a 
cumshaw for the waiter. Face: character, self-esteem. To 
lose face is the worst punishment a Chinese can endure. 
Finish is complete, or exhausted. When your boy tells you 
''Ice have finish," he means there is no more ice. Hozv 
fashion? is a familiar form of interrogation meaning Why? or 
What is the matter? When the boy tells you ''Ice have 
finish/^ you should ask ''How fashion f'\, to which he will 
almost invariably reply "^My no savvey*' meaning that he 
knows nothing of the reason for its finishing and disclaims all 
responsibility therefor. Joss is from the Portuguese dios 
and means idol, god or luck. A joss-pidgin-nian is, literally, 
a God-business-man, or a clergyman. Lam-pidgin is the 
apprentice, who without pay will do most of the work around 



PIDGIN ENGLISH Jl 

your house and be blamed by the regular servants for every- 
thing that goes wrong. Look-see-pidgin- is the general term 
applied to everything done for show or effect and is used for 
all forms of hypocrisy. Plopa is the Chinese pronunciation of 
proper and is used for right, correct, or nice. 

Prof. E. H. Parker in his delightful book John Chinaman 
gives the following example of a typical pidgin conversation 
between himself and a Canton barber : 
"Mornin', barber-man.*' 

"Mornin', Missi Consun; wanchee my cuttee heh?" 
"Yes ; no wanchee cuttee too muchee ; can cuttee littee/' 
''Ollligh! My savee. My cuttee any man hch: plento 
man catchee my shabe he^ ebbily mornin'. Beforetime Hong- 
kong gobbunor olio time my shabe he." 

"What ting have got to-day, barber-man?'-' 
"New piecy wice-loy hab go ngamun {yanien) to-day." 
"That Chinaman talkee he belong good man?" 
''No man savey: moos wait li^tee time, can see. Some 
man talkee he moos wanchee stop lat gambaloo." 

"Have got too muchee gamble-housee that creek side !" 
"Yih ! Beforetime Sir Blook Lobisson no pay he stop lat 
side/' 

"What for that viceroy he soldier-man no look out?"'' 
*'He no likee. S'pose Missi Hance no bobbery [bother] 
he, he no likee too hat [hard], Missi Hance no savey China 
talkee: moos wanchee new piecy largee Consun talkee he." 

**Mr. Hance kr^ew all about it: he told the flower-boats to 
clear out long ago, and the wai-yiln [the viceroy's deputy] 
have got order.'* 

"Missi Hance numba one good man : he lat hat [that 
heart] too muchee soft. My tinky Missi Consun too muchy 
soft hat, too." 

'*Any man talkee my so fashion? What ting that China- 
man talkee my ?" 

"Lat Chinaman talkee consun-side too muchy bijinis; 
Missi Consun any ting can makee. Maskee [never mind] 
what ting, olio belong ploppa [proper]." 
"Chinaman talky my so fashion ?" 



32 HANDBOOK FOR CHINA 

*'Yih! Any man talky ; suppose no got Missi Consun, no 
can!" 

"What for no can? What thing my got number one?" 

**011o man takee, fullin man come Canton side, before- 
time Missi Mayers numba one: Missi Mayers hab go way; 
olio Chinaman talky Missi Consun numba one onsz-tan 
[understand]." 

The most complete pidgin English vocabulary contains 
but a few hundred words, and one who is used to a wider 
selection of words will be surprised what a wide range 
of conversational subjects these few hundred words will 
cover. He should be careful, however, about the indis- 
criminate use of pidgin English, for cultured Chinese 
naturally dislike being addressed in that jargon. An old story 
is told in the treaty ports of the recently arrived missionary 
lady who sought the aid of the local mandarin in replacing 
the mission organ which had been damaged by rain leaking 
through a hole in the roof, ''Have got before time one piecee 
organ, belong makee sing song," she explained. "Have puttee 
organ house inside. Roof topside have makee break. Lain 
come chop chop makee spoilum organ. Just now must catchee 
one more piecee." The mandarin listened attentively but did 
not appear to tmderstand, so she repeated the story several 
times. Finally the light of understanding broke over his face, 
and he replied, "Ah, I understand. A rift in the lute, n'est-ce 
pas?'' He was a graduate of an American university and had 
lived long in Paris. 

Those v;ho wish to pursue the study of pidgin English are 
advised to purchase those amusing little volumes Pidgin 
English Sing Song by Charles G. Leland and Broken China 
by A. P. Hill. 

Routes and Fares.* — From America the principal routes 
to China are by way of San Francisco, Seattle and Vancouver. 
Canadian Pacific steamers sail from the latter place direct to 



•The information given here is only approximately correct for 
both fares and routes are changing frequently in the readjustments 
foHowing the close of the Great War. 



ROUTES AND ?ARES 33 

Yokohama. From San Francisco, the Pacific Mail, China 
Mail, and the Toyo Kisen Kaisha offer sailings of approxi- 
mately once a week. Steamers of all three San Francisco 
lines call at Honolulu, and at the principal ports in Japan 
though some do not call at Shanghai on the outward voyage, 
going direct from Japanese ports to Hongkong. As there 
are frequent sailings between Japan and China this need not 
inconvenience the traveler. From Seattle, the Nippon Yusen 
Kaisha and the Admiral line steamers sail fortnightly. All 
these steamers call at Japanese ports, though only those 
sailing from San Francisco call at Honolulu. The Nippon 
Yusen Kaisha steamers also call at Victoria, a few hours 
from Vancouver. 

The first class fare on the best steamers of the Canadian 
Pacific, Pacific Mail, China Mail, Admiral and Toyo Kisen 
Kaisha lines to Shanghai is $346 (U. S. currency.) Formerly 
all steamship tickets from American ports to ports in China 
included the option of free transportation over the Japanese 
government railways from Yokohama to Kobe or Nagasaki, 
where the steamer was rejoined but this arrangement is no 
longer in effect. The China Mail, Toyo Kisen Kaisha and 
Canadian Pacific lines maintain an intermediate service, 
which is very popular. The intermediate steamers are some- 
what smalleT and slower than the mail boats but in other 
respects are satisfactory. They make the same stops at all 
ports but sail less frequently. The intermediate fare is $269 
<U. S.) Formerly special railway rates were offered in 
connection with steamship tickets, equalizing the fare's 
from practically all inland points in America to any sailing 
point but this has been discontinued and domestic rates only 
apply. Holders of first class steamship tickets are allowed 
350 pounds of baggage on American railway lines and on 
Pacific steamers. In order to secure this baggage allowance 
on the American railways, the steamship ticket or order 
showing that a ticket has been purchased must be presented 
when the baggage is checked. 

From London, the quickest route to the Far East in 
normal times was by way of the Trans-Siberian railway, 



34 HANDBOOK FOR CHINA 

which covered the distance from London to Shanghai in 14 
days. At the time this edition goes to press the Trans- 
Siberian route is entirely disorganized and there seems no 
prospect that it will resume for many years. A number of 
steanfshjp lines connect Chinese ports with principal points 
in Europe, including Peninsular and Oriental, fortnightly 
sailings from London; Messageries Maritimes, fortnightly 
from Marseilles ; Nippon Yusen Kaisha, fortnightly from 
Royal Albert Docks, London; Lloyd Trestino, from Venice 
and Trieste and Blue Funnel from London and Liverpool. 
First class fares on these lines, from London to Hongkong 
or Shanghai range from £104 to £150, with second class fare 
ild to £108. Intermediate service is offered at £120 first class 
and £94 second. Quite a variety of routes are available by 
these lines, all of which go via Suez. The time on the mail 
steamers from London to Hongkong is about 34 days, but by 
traveling overland to Marseilles, this time may be reduced 
six days. The intermediate steamers time is seven weeks'. 
Travel on some of the intermediate steamers offers the 
advantage of longer stops at the ports so that one can often, 
without leaving his ship, enjoy a fairly complete visit to 
many interesting points between Cairo and China. The trip 
from London to Shanghai, by way of Atlantic and Pacific 
steamers and by rail across Am.erica. occupies 28 days by the 
Vancouver route and Z2 days by w^ay of San Francisco, either 
route being shorter than the route via Suez. The fare from 
London to Shanghai by way of the United States or Canada 
is dearer than by the Suez route and in addition to the 
fare there is the expense of meals, sleepers and hotels on the 
trans-continental journey. 

A choice of several lines is possible from Australia. 
Monthly sailings from Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane are 
offered by the Eastern and Australian Steamship Co and the 
Nippon Yusen Kaisha. Vessels of both lines call at Hong- 
kong, but do not call at Shanghai. The fare first class 
Melbourne to Hongkong is £54. 

Raund trip tickets on some lines are offered at slightly 
reduced rates, usually 5 to 10 per cent less than the price oh 



TELEGRAMS AND POSTS 35 

two single tickets. The principal lines sailing from Pacific 
coast ports have arrangements whereby a passenger may stop 
over and continue his journey on vessels of another line. 
Complete details of these arrangements should be learned 
before the ticket is purchased. 

In addition to these lines of mail steamers, there are a 
number of freight lines which ply between New York, Lon- 
don, Marseilles, Antwerp and ports in China. Seme of these 
freighters carry accommodation for a few passengers, at 
fairly cheap rates. The amount of comfort passengers would 
enjoy is determined largely by the class of cargo carried and 
the season in which the voyage is made. 

Laws and Passports. — All foreigners in China are exempt 
from the application of Chinese laws, and are subject only to 
the laws of their own country, and to trial by their own 
consul, or courts of their own countr3^ At Shanghai there 
are British and American Supreme courts and other courts 
representing different nationalities. For this reason a pass- 
port is of special value in order to establish ones nationality 
and all who stay for any length of time in the country should 
register at his consulate. Those who plan extensive trips in 
the interior of China should consult their respective consuls 
and secure special passports issued by the Chinese government. 
They are required of all who travel more than 30 miles from 
a treaty port except on steamers carrying a foreign flag, on 
trains, etc. 

Telegrams and Posts« — The only inland telegram system 
in China is the Chinese Telegraph Administration, owned by 
the Chinese government, and under Chinese m«inagement. 
Telegrams in foreign la^nguages are transmitted at rates twice 
as high as those charged for Chinese messages. In sending 
Chinese telegrams, a code book is used, in which all Chinese 
characters are numbered. The numbers are telegraphed, 
according to the Morse system, and the receiver fills in the 
Chinese characters from a similar code book. China has 
more than 25,000 miles of telegraph lines connecting all prin- 
cipal points. The Chinese post office has developed into a 
very efficient organization, reaching almost every- corner of' 



36 HANDBOOK FOR CKINA 

the country, and affording commiinf cation at very reasonable 
rates. Letters to countries in the postal union, ten cents 
per ounce. The Chinese post office handles correspondence 
addressed in the Romanized version of Chinese names and 
shows remarkable ability in deciphering the many spellings 
which are used. In addition to the Chinese post offices more 
than sixty agencies of foreign post offices are maintained at 
the various treaty ports. 

Chinese Names. — The lack of uniformity in the Romaniz- 
ed spelling of Chinese names is often a source of confusion. 
When foreigners first came to China they either expressed 
Chinese sounds with their own alphabets or gave their own 
names to places. Arbitrary systems of spelling sprang up, 
and though the Chinese post office has adopted an official 
Romanization for all place names, there remain in common 
usage many methods of spelling the same names. For 
instance, Scochow is variously spelled, Suchow, Suchau, and 
Soutcheou, while Shanghai will often be spelled Changhai, 
Schanghae, etc. Further confusion arises from the fact that 
many cities are known to foreigners by names which the 
Chinese do not use. Canton is known to Chinese as Kwang- 
chau fu. Chinese »lso experience difficulty in finding the 
phonetic equivalent of foreign names. The Eames family; 
(Emma Fames was born in Shanghai) is known as Aemih; 
Jardine is expressed by Cha-teen ; and Lane, Crawford, by 
Lane, Ka-la-fat. In Chmese usage the family name is first, 
thus Li Hung Chang was a member of the Li family and not a 
"Mr. Chang*' as he was frequently called by American editors. 
Place names in this book follow the spelling adopted by the 
Chinese Post office. 

Treaty Port.-— This is the term applied to those cities 
wherein foreigners are allowed to reside and carry on business 
by reason of agreements to that effect in various treaties or 
voluntary concessions on the part of the government of 
China. Foreigners are not allowed to hold land, reside, or 
carry on business in any other places, though this restriction 
does not apply to missionaries. In many of the treaty ports 



TREATY POUt 



n 



now open there are foreign settlements under the more or less 
complete control of the foreign residents. 
The treaty ports are as follows : 



. Port 


Province 


Date of Customs 
Opening 


Est^'mated<^hi- 
nese Population 


Aigiin 


CHeilungkiang) 


July 


igop 


5,800 


Amoy 


Fukien 


April 


1862 


114,000 


Antung 


(Shengking) 


March 


IQ37 


34.000 


Canton 


Kuangtung 


Oct. 


1859 


900,000 


Ghangsha 


Hunan 


July 


1904 


250,000 


Chefoo 


Shantung 


March 


1862 


54,000 


Chinkiang 


Kiangsu 


April 


1861 


184,000 


Chinwangtao 


Chihli 


Dec. 


1901 


5,000 


Chungking 


Szechuan 


March 


1891 


614,500 


Dairen 


(Shengking) 


Julv 


1907 


20,000 


Foochow 


Fukien 


July 


1861 . 


6^4,000 


Hangchow 


Chekiang 


Oct. 


i8g6 


594,000 


Harbin 


(Kirin) 


July 


1909 


3,700 


Hankow 


Hupeh 


Jan. 


1862 


826,000 


Hunchun 


(Kirin) 


Jan. 


1910 


3,700 


Ichang 


Hupeh 


April 


1877 


55,000 


Kiaochou 


Shantung 


July 


1899 


34,000 


(fsingtao) 










Kiukiang 


Kiangsi 


Jan. 


i852 


36,000 


Kiungchow 


Hainan 


April 


1876 


43,000 


(Hoihow) 










Kongmoon 


Kuangtung 


March 


1904 


62,000 


Kowloon 


Kuangtung 


April 


1897 


— 


Lappa 


Kuangtung 


June 


1871 


— - 


Lungchingtsun 


(Kirin) 


Jan. 


1910 


500 


Lungchow 


Kuangsi 


June 


1889 


13,000 


Manchouli 


(Heilungkiang) 


Feb. 


1907 


5,000 


Mengtze 


Yunnan 


Aug. 


1889 


10,900 


Nanking 


Kiangsu 


May 


1899 


269,000 


Manning 


Kiangsi 


Jan. 


1907 


40,000 


Newchwang 


Shengking 


May 


1864 


61,000 


Ningpo 


Chekiang 


May 


1861 


450,000 


Pakhoi 


Kuangtung 


April 


1877 


20,000 



38 



HANDBOOK FOR CHINA 



Samshni 


Kuangtung 


June 


iS.97 


6,oco 


Sansing 


(Kirin) 


July 


1939 


22,5eo 


S.intuao 


Fukien 


May 


1899 


8,000 


Shanghai 


Kiangsu 


June 


J 854 


651,000 


Shasi 


Hup eh 


Oct. 


1856 


95,900 


Soochow 


Kiangsu 


Sept. 


1S96 


500,000 


Sulfeiiho 


Kirin 


Feb. 


1908 


l,D^O 


Swatow 


Kuangtung 


Jan. 


i860 


70,000 


Szemao 


Yunnan 


Jan. 


1897 


15,000 


Tatungkow 


(Shengking) 


March 


1907 


4,300 


Tengyueh 


Yunnan 


May 


1902 


10,000 


Tientsin 


Chihli 


May 


1861 


8oo,oco 


Wenchow 


Chekiang 


April 


1877 


100,000 


Wuchow 


Kuangsi 


June 


1897 


40,000 


Wuhu 


Anhui 


April 


1877 


98,000 


Yatung 


(Tibet) 


Ma}- 


1894 


— 


Yochow 


Hunan 


Nov. 


1899 


20,000 



Names of territories enclosed in brackets do not belong to 
the eighteen Provinces of China Proper, 

Weights and Measures. — It is only fair to the reader 
to state at once that there are no weights and measures in 
China as they are known in other countries. In theory the 
system is a very fine one, being based on the decimal notation, 
but in practice every dealer or every guild fixes an individual 
standard which may or not be like that of any other dealer or 
guild. Thus while the picul is a standard of weight in all 
parts of the country, it is always necessary to determine how 
heavy the picul is. As the picul is composed of a variable 
number of catties which may also vary in weight and as each 
one of the smaller divisions of A'eight is subject to variations 
it is quite impossible for any foreigner ever to tell just what 
is meant by a picul. Says Dr. Arthur H. Smith in his Chinese 
Characteristics: *'So far is it from being true that *a pint is 
a pound the world around,' in China a pint is not a pint, nor 
is a pound a pound. Not only does the theoretical basis of 
each vary, but it is a very common practice (as in the salt 
'monopoly, for example) to fix some purely arbitrary standard, 
«uch as twelve ounces, and call that a pound (catty). The 



WEIGHTS AND MEASURES 39 

purchaser pays for sixteen ounces and receives but twelve, 
but then it is openly done by all dealers within the same range, 
so that there is no fraud, anrj if the people think of it at all, 
it is only as an old time custom of the salt trade. A similar 
uncertainty prevails in the measurement of land. In some 
districts the acre is half as large again as in others, and those 
who happen to live on the boundary are obliged to keep a 
double set of measuring apparatus, one for each kind of acre/' 
The same author continues, in discussing the Chinese disregard 
for accuracy — ''Under these circumstances, it cannot be a 
matter of surprise to find that the regulation of standards is 
a thing which each individual undertakes for himself. The 
steelyard maker perambulates the street, and puts in the little 
dots (called 'stars') according to the preferences of each 
customer, who will have not less than two sets of balances, 
one for buying and one for selling. A ready-made balance, 
unless it might be an old one, is not to be had, for the whole, 
scale of standards is in a fluid condition, to be solidified 
only by each successive purchaser.'* 

With the foregoing explanations the following tables of 
weights and measures are appended : 

MEASURES 0^ WEIGHT 

10 Li I Fen (Candareen) 

10 Fen I Ch'ien (Mace) 

10 Ch'ien i Liang (Tael) 

i6 Liang..., I Chin (Kin) or Catty 

100 Chm , I Tan or Picul 

For purposes of foreign trade these weights are fixed as 
follows :— 

I Liang........ 583.3 grs.— r-1/3 oz.— 37.7S3 grammes 

I Catty.... 1-1/3 lb. or 604.53 grammes 

I Picul.. ...... .133-1/3 lbs.or60.453 kilogrammes 

According to the China Year Book, from which this 
information is taken, the catty ranges in native trade from 12 
to 43 1/2 ounces, and the number of catties to the ptcul will 
vary from 90 to 280. 



.40 HANDBOOK FOR CHINA 



MEASURES 0? LENGTH 

10 Fen .1 Ts'un (inch) 

10 Ts'un .... I Ch'ih (foot) 

10 Ch'ih I Chang (Pu or Kung) 

i8o Chang. i Li 

For purposes of the foreign customs trade the length of 
the ch'ih is fixed at 14. i inches or 0.358 metres, this arrange- 
ment being reached in the Anglo-Chinese agreement of 1858. 
A /i, theoretically 2,115 feet or two-fifths of a mile, is 
usually regarded as a third of a mile. One will often find 
that the distance from A to B is reckoned at 20 li while from 
B to A is 25 IL This discrepancy is explained by the fact 
that the road one way is uphill. In rainy weather when roads 
become difBcult the "distance" between points will increase 
50 to 100 per cent. 

Some of the "standard'* lengths in various trades, etc, are 
as follow : — 

Inches 

Carpenter's ch'ih 11. 14 

Mason's „ 11.08(10.9) 

Artisan's „ 12.569 

Board of Revenue's „ 13. 181 

Tailor's „ 13.85~14.05 

Customs House „ 14.098 

Junk Builder's „ 15/69—15.69 

M^ASURJiS 0^ ARI^A 

In measures of area the following tables are used: — 

ID Ssu « I Hao 

10 Hao I Li 

10 Li I Fen 

10 Fen ,••.....! Mow 

100 Mow .1 Ch*ing 

25 Square Ch'ih I Pu or Kung 

240 Pu I Mow 

IDG Mow^ I Ch'ing 



WEIGHTS AND MEASURES 4i 

The ijioiv 15 known to most foreigners as consisting of 
one-sixth of an English acre, that being the standard fixed ia 
Shanghai where the foreigners insist on knowing exactly what 
is meant by the term. In other parts of China the mow 
means whatever local custom may have established as its mean- 
ing and nothing more. It is known to vary in different parts 
of the country from one-fifteenth to one-third of an acre. 

MEASURES OF CAPACITY 

Measures of capacity are probably used less in China 
than in any other country, for most fluids are sold by weight. 
Wooden measures are used for retail transactions in rice and 
grain but in the wholesale trade these commodities are sold 
% weight. Most of the measures of capacity which one sees 
in the rice dealers' shops are really measures of weight, local 
custom decreeing that a certain measure full of rice be equal 
to one, five or ten catties. Though the Chinese merchant 
always makes a concession to the customs of foreigners and 
sells his silk by the yard, the Chinese customer when buying 
some qualities will pay for it by the ounce. Eggs, too, are 
sold by weight rather than by the dozen as in our ov/n en- 
lightened land where we pa^ as much for a dozen small eggs 
as for a dozen large ones. However, on the rare occasions 
when the Chinese do use measures of capacity, their theoret- 
ical table is as follows : — 

10 Ko I Sheng 

10 Sheng .1 Tow 

10 To w I Shih 

These terms may mean much or little for the tozv accord- 
ing to one authority ranges from 176 to 1800 cubic inches. 

The Chinese themselves are becoming dissatisfied with this 
confusion in weights and measures and there is reason to 
believe that reforms are under way. Foreign standards are 
used, of course, in foreign trade. Formerly the Chinese peo* 
pie traveled about very little and they were not greatly incon- 
venienced by the different standards which existed in other 
parts of the country. Now with the building of railways, 
there is a great deal of traveling about and the old standards 
will not do. 



42 



HANDBOOK FOR CHINA 



HISTORICAL SKETCH 




Yuan Sink K'ai 



ANDED down hy legends, Chinese hiitory 
begins about 2500 B.C. with the reign of 
the three emperors, who in a remark- 
ably short space of time brought a bar- 
barous people to a comparatively high 
stage of civilization. The first of these 
semi-mythical rulers was Fu Hsi (or 
Fuhi), who instituted marriage, taught 
the people to fish with nets, domesticated 
the wild animals for their use, invented 
the flute and lyre and replaced former 
methods of communication (by means of 
knots tied in strings) with a kind of pic- 
ture language which has developed into 
the present Chinese ideographs. His grave is now pointed out 
-in Chechow, Honan, where thousands assemble annually to do 
reverence to his memory. The following emperor, Shen 
Nung, carried the advance of th^ people still further. He 
taught agriculture and the use of herbs as medicine, and is 
now known as " The Imperial Husbandman." The third 
emperor, Hwang-ti, extended the boundaries of the empire, 
reformed the calendar, established cities, and introduced the 
use of carts and boats, while his consort taught the rearing of 
silkworms. Foreign historians regard these three emperors 
a[s merely representative of different stages of early civiliza- 
tion, while the Chinese ascribe to them supernatural qualities. 
After the death of Hwang-ti several unimportant rulers 
succeeded and a little later (B.C. 2357) the famous ruler Yaa 
was placed on the throne. He and his successor, Shun, are 
doubtless the most popular figures in Chinese history. Dnr- 
ng the reign of Yao, China was harassed by a great flood,, 
which from the Chinese descriptions bears a resemblance to the 
deluge of the Bible. The minister of public works having 
failed to combat the flood, the task was undertaken by Yu, his 
son. He built great canals, dug tunnels through mountains. 



HISTORICAL SKETCH 43 

and at length the flood subsided, after having devastated the 
country for nine years. He is credited with engineering feat& 
which w^ould compare creditably with the 'building of the 
Panama Canal. 

Yao finally handed over the government to his colleague^ 
Shun, and he in turn gave it to Yu. Yao and Shun are 
two of the greatest figures in Chinese history and historians 
have vied with each other in ascribing to them every possible 
virtue and holding them up as examples to be followed by all 
other rulers. In the recent revolution, when the monarchy 
was exhorted to hand over the government to the Republicans, 
the examples of Yao and Shun in voluntarily surrendering the 
throne were cited. 

Yu, the canal builder, founded the first of China's long 
succession of dynasties which lasted from 2205 B.C. to 1766 
B.C. There were frequent revolutions in its history, as was 
true of all succeeding dynasties, but the Chinese people con- 
tinued to advance in the arts of civilization. The dynasty, 
starting with the able and resourceful Yu, fell on evil days 
and the eighteenth emperor, Kie, was a cruel tyrant, whose 
name is synonymous with all that is infamous and vicious. 
Tang, the Prince of Shang, led a revolt, overthrew Kie, and 
established the Shang or Yin dynasty, which stood from 
1766 to 1122 B.C. Tang is accounted one of the great 
emperors of China and many writers have competed in their 
praise of him. After a successful revolt against Chou-sin, 
the last ruler of the Shang dynasty, Wu Wang set up the 
Chow dynasty and rewarded those who had helped him and 
his father, the Duke of Chovv, by granting them titles and 
certain portions of the kingdom, establishing a feudal system, 
not unlike that of medirevnl Europe. He also fortified his 
position as emperor by the introduction of elaborate court 
ceremonial, and introd |:ed distinctive court and ceremonial 
dress. The dynasty vc^^s the longest in the history of China, 
extending from 1122 B.C. to 249 B.C., a period of almost 930 
years. The undisputed portion of Chinese history begins with 
this period, for ihe stories of the earlier are mainly based 
on records which both Confucius and Mencius showed to be 



44 HANDBOOK FOR CHINA 

unreliable, and the present accepted chronology was not 
known until after the time of Confucius. Indeed no dates in 
Chinese history ^rlier than B.C. 7^2 are authentic, but records 
existing at that time show such a high state of civilization 
as to corroborate the Chinese claims for the great antiquity 
of their race. The Chow dynasty is notable for the fact that 
during its rule the three great philosophers, Confucius, Men- 
cius and Laotze were born. 

The feudal system which had been established by the 
founder of the dynasty at length resulted in great growth for 
the various feudal states, at the expense of the central govern- 
ment. As the centuries passed, the fiction of allegiance to 
the central power became less, and the rival states engaged in 
petty warfare among themselves, stronger states gobbling up 
the weaker ones, until Anally there arose the Napoleon of 
China, a man strong enough to conquer all others and unite 
the country under one rule. This was Shih Hvvang-ti, the 
Duke of Tsin, who overthrew the thirty-fifth and last emperor 
of the dynasty and in 221 B.C. established the Tsin or Chin 
dynasty. From that date China remained an empire for 
more than two thousand years, though the throne passed to 
many houses. Although it was divided several times between 
rival thrones, these short periods but briefly interrupted 
the unity of the country. 

Shih Hwang-ti, who assumed the title of emperor, realized 
the weaknesses of the former administration and abolished the 
feudal system. In its place he divided the country into a 
number of provinces, over each of which he appointed a gov- 
ernor-general. He removed his capital to Hienyang, now 
known as Sianfu, and there built a magnificent palace which 
far surpassed any previous architectural attempts in China. 
His reign was one of great internal development, for he con- 
structed many roads and canals. But a part of the people 
refused to accept his reign without protest and the scholars 
continued to tell of the glories of the old feudal system and to 
insist that it be restored. As a reprimand to them and as an 
indication that his dynasty had begun anew and would not be 
bound by traditions or precedents he ordered all the books of 



HISTORICAL SKETCH 4S 

the empire burned, including the vast libraries which previous 
monarchs had collected. The only exceptions to this order 
were books on astrology, divination, medicine and husbandry. 
As a means of silencing the /iV^rafi, he ordered several hun- 
dred of them buried alive. These orders have caused his name 
to be execrated by all Chinese scholars since that time. 

The empire of China had by this time extended from the 
original seat near Sianfu until it comprised what is now 
China proper, north of the Yangtsze river. The extension of 
the northern boundaries had brought the Chinese into contact 
with the Tartar tribes of the north, and Shih Hwang-ti built 
the great wall around the confines of his kingdom to protect 
it from Tartar attacks. Work on this great undertaking was 
begun in 214 B.C. What is now Chinese Turkestan became 
a Chinese colony and caravans passed through establishing 
trade with Persia and Rome. Shih Hwang-ti died six years 
after work on the Great Wall was begun and the throne 
passed to his youngest son, with the title of Second Emperor. 
Defeated rulers of the old feudal states were naturally jealous 
of the success of the Duke of Tsin and one of them, the Prince 
of Han, led a successful revolt against the Second Emperor, 
who was put to death after a short and inglorious reign. This 
dynasty lasted but fifteen years, the shortest of all in the his- 
tory of China. It receives little pral*«j from the Chinese his- 
torians but it gave to China the name by which the country 
has since been known to foreigners. The word Tsin or Chin 
became corrupted into China. 

The Han dynasty marked the establishment of the unity 
of the Chinese people, and the Chinese, with tha exception of 
the Cantonese, still call themselves "The sons of Han." The 
Prince of Han began his reign by repealing the decree re- 
garding the destruction of books, and aided in the restoration 
of the burned libraries. He set the example for future rulers 
by offering sacrifice at the tomb of Confucius, and the dynasty 
originated the literary examinations on which China's great 
civil-service system was formed. The struggles with the 
northern tribes began during this reign, the most serious be- 
ing with the tribes of Mongolia, ancestors of the Huns with 



46 HANDBOOK FOR CHINA 

whom Attila, 600 years later, scourged Europe. However 
the territory of the country was enlarged, taking in a large 
section south of the Yangtsze and the present province of 
Kansu. 

The power of the Han dynasty declined after nearly two 
centuries of rule, one of the causes being an outbreak of 
pestilence which continued for eleven years. A Taoist priest 
claimed to have discovered a magical cure for the pestilence 
and on the strength of this claim secured enough followers to 
take possession of some of the northern provinces and serious- 
ly threaten the throne. Wang Mang, Tung Cho and Tsao 
Tsao, who have since been known to history as the "Three 
Traitors," took advantage of this period of disorder to seize 
the throne and divide the empire into three parts, each of them 
appropriating one of the kingdoms. 

Although they had divided the country amicably, the 
three kingdoms did not remain at peace and the 45 years 
which this period of the three kingdoms endured were marked 
by continual warfare between them. This was China's period 
of chivalry and a great many of the most popular poems and 
dramas are founded on the stirring events and deeds of daring 
which occurred during the time. In the end the Kingdom 
of Wei triumphed and assumed rule over the others. The 
occupants of the throne were descendants of the founder of the 
Plan dynasty, so Chinese history regards the period of the three 
Kingdoms as merely an interruption of the Han reign. 

After the iinal dowmfall of the Han dynasty there was 
constant warfare for the mastery of the country and several 
short-lived dynasties succeeded, these being Tsi (479 to 502). 
Liang (502 to 557), Chen (557 to 589), and Siu (589 to 619). 

Tai-tsung at length conquered the country, establishing 
the Tang dynasty which existed from 619 to 902, during 
which time the frontier of China was extended to eastern 
Persia and the Caspian Sea. During this dynasty lived Em- 
press Wu Hou, one of the consorts of Kao-tsong, who seized 
supreme power and ruled the country for some time.. Her 
accession to authority established the precedent which enabled 
the late Empress Dowager, Yehonola, to rule China during the 



HISTORICAL SKETCH 4? 

latter part of tile last and the beginning of the present century. 
The peace of the country was disturbed several times by 
Tartar attacks and by internal rebellions, all of which w^ere put 
down. Korea was conquered and made a vassal state in the 
hope that it would serve as a buffer against the Tartar attacks. 

The Emperor Wu-tsung who began a rule of six years in 
^41 abolished all nunneries and monasteries and ordered all 
•missionaries out of the country. Buddhism, however, soon 
revived and was given a semblance of state sanction a few 
years later when an Emperor claimed to possess one of the 
bones of Buddha. The history of the latter part of the 
dynasty is chiefly a record of a feeble government which was 
finally overthrown. There followed five brief dynasties under 
which the country was ruled from 907 to 960. These dynas- 
ties were little more than military despotisms, set up by suc- 
cessive victorious generals. 

The next substantial dynasty was the Sung (960 to 12S0), 
but it was not allowed to rule undisturbed. The Tartars 
continued to grow in strength and in 1125 successfully renew- 
ed their attacks, taking possession of the capital at Kaifeng, 
Honan, and forcing the emperor to pay tribute. Probably the 
tribute remittances were not sent promptl}^ for the Tartars 
came again and, just as they had done 700 years before, con- 
quered all of the northern part of the country, the Chinese 
retaining possession of the southern part. The Emperor 
Tem.oved his capital, first to Nanking, and then to Hangchow. 

A few years later^ Ghengis Khan began the conquest of 
the country, having previously formed a confederacy of the 
Mongol states. They found their hardest foes would be the 
Tartar occupants of the north, §0 a treaty was entered into 
with the Sung Emperor, wherein it was agreed that he should 
join forces with the Alongols to drive out the Tartars, and 
should occupy Honan undisturbed. The Tartar tribes having 
been defeated, the Sung rulers moved into Honan, in accord- 
ance with the terms of the treaty, but were ordered to evacuate. 

The work of conquest so ably begun by Ghengis Khan 
was carried on by his son Ogotai, who conducted expeditions 
overrunning Poland, Hungary and Russia. Kublai Khan 



48 HANDBOOK ^OR CHINA 

grandson of GTiengis, followed as the Mongol leader and com- 
pleted the work of conquest. His armies were sent against 
the Chinese and the Sung dynasty was wiped out, the last 
Emperor being drowned near Canton. 

The conquest of China, which had occupied the attention 
of the Mongols for more than loo years, was completed in 
1260, when the Yuan dynasty was set up, a dynasty which 
was destined to remain in power a shorter period than that 
occupied by the conquest. 

Kublai Khan made partially successful attempts to rec- 
oncile the people to his alien rule, and then began fresh at- 
tempts at conquest. An attack on Japan failed, but Annam 
was added to the list of tributary states and remained so until 
it became a dependency of France in 1864. The Burmese 
were forced to pay tribute. The Emperor was as energetic 
in public works at home as he was in conquests abroad and 
is credited with adding many improvements to the Grand 
Canal, which was widened and lengthened. It was during his 
reign that Marco Polo, the Venetian adventurer, visited the 
country and gave to Europe its first authentic and detailed 
knowledge of the Great Khan. 

The idea of foreign rule was hateful to the Chinese and 
many secret societies sprang into existence having for their 
purpose the overthrow of the Mongol rule. 

At length the long-threatened revolt broke out, headed by 
an obscure servant in a Buddhist temple north of Nanking. 
The Mongols had lost their prowess as fighting men and so 
great was the hostility to them that the rebels met with little 
resistance. As the leader captured one section of the country 
he established law and order and left the people of that district 
to live in peace while he went on with his victorious army. 
In 1355 he captured Nanking and thirteen years later, when 
master of the entire empire, he proclaimed himself emperor 
with the reign title Hung Wu, establishing the Ming dynasty. 

It was during this dynasty that China began to come more 
in contact with European nations. In 151 1 Portuguese traders 
arrived at Canton and received a friendly reception. Six 
years later Fernando Peres de Andrade entered Canton and 



HISTORICAL SKETCH 49 

was allowed to proceed to Peking, the capital of the Mings. 
A short time later, his brother Simon arrived on the Southern 
coast, and not being satisfied with the reception he received, 
committed depredations on the coast, from Foochow to Ning- 
po. The Chinese retsfiiated by killing many of the Portuguese 
and x\ndrade was put to death. In 1622 the Dutch appeared, 
were driven off by the Chinese, and retired to Formosa, where 
they established posts protected by forts. 

The Ming dynasty, after ruling nearly three hundred 
years, fell before the Manchus, a tribe of Tartars living near 
the present city of Moukden. One of the last Ming emperors 
neglected the administration of the country to meddle in the 
affairs of the border tribes and in doing this earned the re- 
sentment of the Manchus. Nurhachu, the Manchu chieftain, 
led an attack against the Chinese and in 1618 invaded the 
Liaotung Peninsula. The invaders put to rout the Chinese 
who opposed them and on capturing a city compelled the 
Chinese to shave the front part of their heads and braid their 
hair into queues, as a sign of their subjection to the invaders. 
This was the origin of the queue which became such a distin- 
guishing characteristic of the Chinese during the rule of the 
Manchus and has, since their overthrow, been slowly disap- 
pearing. 

The Chinese brought cannon from Macao with which to 
defend themselves against the invaders and succeeded in hold- 
ing them in check. In the meantime two rebels, Li Tzu 
Cheng and Cheng Hsien Chung, starting from Shansi and 
Shensi, met with great success and overran a large part of the 
Empire. The rebel Li assumed the title of Emperor and 
advanced on Peking. Chuang Lieh, the last Ming Emperor, 
committed suicide when a treacherous eunuch opened the 
city gates for the rebels. 

General Wu Sen Kwei, who was holding back the in- 
vaders at the border, determined to avenge the death of his 
Emperor, and like the Sungs several hundred years before, 
entered into an agreement with the Manchus who were to aid 
him in driving out the rebels. The allies marched on Peking, 
routed the rebels, and General Wu pursued them to the South. 



so HANDBOOK FOR CHINA 

Returning to Peking he found that the Manchu Regent had 
placed his nephew on the throne with the title of Emperor 
and inaugurated the Ts'ing dynast}'. The Chinese in th6 
South struggled for fifteen years against this usurpation of 
power, but in the end were compelled to acquiesce in the 
Manchu rule. 

Exclusiveness and intolerance of any intercourse with 
foreigners distinguished the foreign relations of the country 
during almost the whole of the Manchu reign. In 1635 Eng- 
land had granted a charter to English merchants authorising 
them to trade in China and as a result Captain Weddell sailed 
for the East with a small fleet of vessels. Passing forts on 
his way to Canton, his fleet was fired on. He retaliated and 
silenced the forts. The Chinese authorities then granted the 
right to trade at Canton, subject to heavy restrictions. 

The value and importance of Chinese trade became 
better known and in 1793 England sent Lord MacCartney 
to negotiate a treaty with China providing for better relations 
between the two countries, but little was accomplished. About 
twenty years later Lord Amherst headed another embassy from 
England but was not received by the Emperor. For more 
than forty years after the embassy of Lord MacCartney, Eng- 
land continued her unsuccessful efforts to secure from China 
some satisfactory agreement providing for trade relations be- 
tween the two countries. 

During this period all English trade with China was in 
the hands of the East India Company, but the monopoly came 
to an end in 1834. On the Chinese side, all foreign trade 
had been in the hands of a monopoly similar to that of the 
East India Company, the famous Co-hong of Canton. In fact 
all foreign commercial relations had been delegated to this 
guild of Canton merchants, with which the foreigners could 
deal and which had the authority to place many restrictions 
on foreign trade. Although England ended her monopoly, the 
Chinese saw no reason for similar action. The Co-hong was 
unwilling to relinquish its rights and the foreigners had no 
means of dealing directly with the government. At that time 
the foreign traders were limited to a small section of Canton, 



^HISTORICAL SKETCH^ 51 



where they could reside. They -eould' sell their goods only to 
members of the Co-hong and make purchases from them alone. 
No one cwas allowed to teach them the language and they 
could not leave the confines of their residence area without a 
Chinese guard, nor were they allowed to go into the city of 
Canton. Strained relations between foreigners and Chinese 
resulted. The Manchu government at Peking all along took 
the attitude that commerce was beneath the dign>.y of the Son 
of Heaven and did not deign to notice it. 

About 1856 the Chinese government did deign to notice 
foreign trade, for it became alarmed over the outflow of silver^ 
a great part of this being due to the sale of opium smuggled in 
by foreigners often with the connivance of Chinese officials. 
In 1839 it was decided to make a determined effort to abolish 
the opium traffic, which had been introduced into China from 
India. A commissioner appointed to carry out the plans of 
the government arrived in Canton, seized the opium in the for- 
eign warehouses, more than 20,000 chests were destroyed. 

Further demands were made on the foreign merchants 
and a year later war broke out between Great Britain and 
China. China was worsted on every side, but the conflict 
dragged on until the arrival of Sir Henry Pottinger, in 1841. 
The war was then carried to the North, Sir Henry being in- 
structed to make terms of peace with no authority less than 
that of the Imperial government. The fleet sailed up the coast, 
taking, in rapid succession, Amoy, Ningpo, Woosung and 
Shanghai, then proceeded u^ the Yangtsze and bombarded 
Chinkiang. By the time Nanking was reached, two imperial 
commissioners were there waiting to arrange for peace. 

'The treaty of Nanking was concluded on August 29,, 
1842. It provided that Canton, Shanghai, Amoy, Foochow, 
and Ningpo be opened as treaty ports where foreigners could 
reside and carry on their trade. The island of Hongkong was 
ceded to Great Britain and an indemnity of 21 million dollars 
was to be paid, 6 million of which was for the opium de- 
stroyed. Fair tariff rates were to be maintained at the treaty 
ports and communication between the two nations was to be on 
terms of equality. Similar treaties were then concluded with 



52 HANDBOOK FOR CHINA 

the United States and with France. Under the provisions of 
this treaty, foreign firms were established at the five ports and 
the foreign residents of China greatly increased in number. 
A few missionaries had been sent to the country before this 
time, but with the opening up of the ports, more active work 
was possible. 

In 185 1 Emperor Hien Feng ascended the throne and 
about the same time the Taiping Rebellion broke out Under 
the leadepship of Hung Hsio-chuen. The teaching of a 
Protestant missionary in Canton was the indirect and innocent 
cause of the rebellion, for Hung, with half-formed ideas of 
Christianity, became a fanatic. For a time he organized a 
religious society near Canton, the object of which was to 
destroy idols. As the society grew in membership it became 
political and anti-dynastic. Hung announced himself as the 
''Heavenly King" and led his forces against government troops 
with the purpose of overthrowing the Manchus. The rebels 
marched northward to the Yangtsze valley sacking cities and 
devastating the country through which they passed. There is 
scarcely a. city of the Yangtsze valley which does not show 
today some evidences of their visits. They seized Han37ang, 
Wuchang, Hankow, Anking, Kiukiang and Nanking, the latter 
city being selected as the Taiping capital. In 1853 an expedition 
was sent from there against Peking, but was repulsed at 
Tientsin. Li Hung Chang, who was then a young officer in 
Anhui, first came into prominence as a result of this rebellion. 
He employed two Americans, Ward and Burgevine, to com- 
mand an army which had greater success against the rebels 
than attended the efforts of the regular Imperial forces. ^^ 

While this rebellion was progressing northward, the 
friendly relations which had been established between Great 
Britain and China again became strained. The Chinese com- 
plained that opium was being smuggled into the mainland of 
China from Hongkong by means of vessels flying the British 
flag. The British asserted that they were still harassed by 
useless and malicious trade restrictions. The Chinese auth- 
orities seized and threw into jail the native crew of th« 
*'Arrow/* a small vessel flying the British flag, and the nego- 



HISTORICAL SKETCH S3 

tiations which followed led to serious difference of opinion, 
both sides preparing for war. 

The first contingent of British troops was sent out in 1857 
under Lord Elgin, who had been appointed Lord High Com- 
missioner for Great Britain, but the force of 5000 men with 
which he started was diverted to India to help put down the 
Sepoy mutiny. Meanwhile a French missionary had been 
murdered by the Chinese and the French government took 
this as a deciding reason for joining with the British. 

The two forces sailed up the coast and easily took the 
Taku forts, when peace terms were discussed. It was agreed 
that Newchwang, Formosa, Swatow, and Kiungchow be opened 
as additional treaty ports and the British be given the privilege 
of trading on the Yangtsze river. An indemnity of 2 million 
taels was to be paid to each government and the tariff revised. 

The following year had been set for ratification of the 
treaties, but the Chinese refused to agree on any place for ex- 
change of ratifications. The two fleets proceeded to Tientsin 
and found the harbor blocked with piling and heavy chains, 
while they were fired on by the Taku forts. Another force of 
20,000 men which was sent out captured the forts. The 
Chinese sued for peace, but British emissaries sent to meet the 
officials coming from Peking were captured and thrown into 
prison. The forces advanced on the capital and a new treaty 
was signed October 22, i860, the original indemnity being 
increased to 8 million taels. Kowloon, on the mainland near 
the island of Hongkong, was ceded to Great Britain and 
Tientsin was opened as a treaty port. 

While the Imperial forces were engagecf with their foreign 
adversaries, the Taipings had taken advantage of the oppor- 
tunity to extend their operations and resumed possession of a 
section south of the Yangtsze river. When the rebellion 
started it was believed to be inspired by purely Christian 
motives and foreigners who had long since grown tired of the 
evasions and deceptions of the Manchu government readily 
gave their sympathy to the Taipings, while misinformed 
missionary societies in England and America held prayer 
meetings for the success of the rebellion. But the quasi- 



54 HANDBOOK :?0R CHINA 

religious motives in which the rebellion orginated soon 
disappeared and when missionaries called on the "Heavenly 
King" at Nanking they found him an arrogant fanatic living a 
dissolute life which gave the lie to his religious pretensions. 

Foreign sympathy finally veered to the side of the Im- 
perialists and foreigners took an active part in the fighting 
against the Taipings. General Ward was killed while leading 
an attack against the rebels and then Great Britain loaned to 
the Imperial government the services of Captain C. E. Gordon 
of the British army to take the place oi General Ward. Cap- 
tain Gordon reorganized the Imperial forces, placed them 
under foreign officers and continued the successes of his pre- 
decessor. He finally secured the surrender of the rebel strong- 
hold of Soochow, making an agreement that the lives of the 
leaders should be spared. Li Hung Chang broke faith with 
the rebels and had the leaders beheaded, whereupon Captain 
Gordon refused to remain with the army. 

However, his work was completed, for soon thereafter 
Nanking fell before the Imperial army, which had kept it in a 
state of siege for eleven years, and the rebellion ended in 1864. 
Some of the leaders committed suicide and the others who 
escaped execution quickly dispersed. The rebellion ceased to 
be and the rebels returned to their farms and shops as quickly 
as they had taken up arms. But the country had suffered 
devastation which is still atteiled to by the ruins of cities. 
Over 20 million lives had been lost and half th^ country 
plunged into extreme pover'ty. 

Hien Feng died in i85i, leaving a^ the heir to the throne 
his son, T'ung-chi, a child of five years. What proved more 
important in the future history of China was the fact that he 
was survived by Tsze Hsi, the little emperor's mother, who, 
owing to the birth of the child, had been raised from the 
position of favorite concubine to that of Imperial consort. 
With the legitimate empress, who was childless, Tsze Hsi 
became joint regent. For fourteen years, the two empresses 
ruled, the mother of the emperor by virtue of her superior 
abilities slowly gaining the ascendancy. But in his nineteenth 
year the young emperor died, an event not unv/elcome to the 



HISTORICAL SKETCH 5Sk 



plotters around the throne who hoped thereby to be able to 
seize power for themselves. 

In this conflict the Empress Dowager, Tsze Hsi, outwitted 
them all, and secured the selection of the infant son of her 
sister who had married a brother of Hien-Feng. This coup 
gave her renewed power and prolonged the regency in which 
she had, by this tini^, become dominant. The infant Em.peror, 
Kwang Hsu, ascended the throne in 1875 while the Empress 
Dowager continued the dominating figure in all governmental 
affairs. His selection had been prompted by her boundless 
ambition and in it she had violated one of the most sacred 
traditions of the Chinese. The conditions of ancestor worship 
demanded that each successor to the throne be of a generation 
just succeeding that of his predecessor. Kwang Hsu did not 
fulfil that condition, for he was a first cousin of the un- 
fortunate Emperor w^hom he followed. There were many 
criticisms of this act in China, and the prestige of the Manchu 
court was weakened in the eyes of the Chinese. 
. : Korea had long been a vassal state and foreigners natur- 
ally looked to China to redress any wrongs they might suffer 
there. In 1866 some French missionaries were murdered in 
Korea, and soon thereafter an American vessel wms burned 
and members of the crew killed. Both France and the United 
•States demanded satisfaction but China replied that she was 
not accustomed to interfere in the affairs of her vassal states 
and paid no attention to the reprisals made by both France and 
America. Shortly after this Japaa found it necessary to 
retaliate for Korean attacks "On a Japanese gunboat The 
Korean government was compelled to pay an indemnity and 
to open up the country for intercourse with Japan. In order 
to neutraliz-e the predominant Japanese influence established 
% this arrangement, the Chinese government threw Korea 
open to the whole world. 

France, in 1864, had annexed Cochin-China, under the 
pretext that France was the protector of the Roman Catholic 
missions. Twenty years later France manifested desires for 
Tonkin, north of Annam, as a country which would enable it to 
tap the province of Yunnan. Tonkin appealed to China for 



5S HANDBOOK ^OR CHINA 

protection. Negotiations followed and China agreed to cede 
some territory to France. When French troops came to take 
possession of these places, they were fired on by the local 
garrison, owing to the fact that no date had been set for the 
actual transfer and the Chinese garrison was not advised 
of the arrangement. 

Although the two countries were actually at war, follow- 
ing this occurrence, the fiction was kept up that each was 
engaging in reprisals. The French fleet entered the harbor at 
Fcochow and after lying at anchor there for several weeks 
opened fire on the Chinese fleet, gaining an easy victor5\ 
Strongholds in Formosa and the Pescadores were taken as 
easily. In the meantime the Chinese troops gained such suc- 
cesses over the French on land that the latter were content 
to forget their early demands for a heavy indemnity, and the 
final terms of peace, concluded June 9, 1885, cast no discredit 
on China. She gave up her claims to Tonkin while France 
agreed to respect China's southern frontier. The conflict 
ended with a gain in prestige to China for she had been able 
to hold her own with a first-class power. 

Another break with Japan came in 1894. Each country 
had agreed not to land troops in Korea without giving formal 
notice to the other but China ignored this agreement when 
serious disturbances broke out in Korea. Japan protested and 
China agreed to withdraw the forces but while this arrangement 
was being perfected a steamer arrived v/ith more Chinese 
troops. A mutiny on board made it impossible for the Chinese 
commander to comply with the Japanese demands for a sur- 
render. Japanese cruisers opened fire and sank the transport. 
War was declared at once. 

If the war with France had given the Chinese an ex- 
aggerated idea of their fighting abilities, the conflict with 
Japan soon created a different impression for it was immediately 
apparent that she was no match for Ker small but aggressive 
neighbor. The cause which probably contributed most to the 
defeat of the Chinese was found in their own official corrup- 
tion. The funds which had been raised several years before 
for the building of a modern navy had been diverted by th^ 



; HISTORICAL SKETCH 57 

Empress Dowager and used for the construction of a Summer 
Palace. Only old vessels remained in the nav3% and these 
were improperly supplied with ammunition. The vessels were 
either sunk or put to flight and the Japanese then made a sue* 
cessful attack on Port Arthur, which the Chinese deemed im* 
pregnable. 

The Treaty of Shimonoseki was signed as a result of this 
war and China suffered heavily. The independence of Korea 
-was recognized; Formosa and the Pescadores were ceded to 
Japan; an indemnity of 200 million taels was agreed to; 
Shasi, Chungking, Soochow, and Hangchow were to be 
opened as treaty ports. The war had conclusively proven 
the weakness of China and in the next few years she suffered 
many acts of foreign aggression as a result. 

During the drawing up of the Shimonoseki treaty, Russia 
interfered, apparently on behalf of China, to prevent the lease 
of Port Arthur to Japan. Shortly after the treaty was signed, 
however, Russia forced China to lease this important fortress 
to her, thereby giving her one of the strongest naval bases in 
the world. The murder of two German missionaries was the 
pretext by which Germany in 189S seized Kiaochow, in Shan- 
tung. It is here that they built up, the important commercial 
centre of Tsingtau which in the recent great war fell into the 
hands of the Japanese. Great Britain leased Weihaiwei, in 
return for assistance in paying the indemnity to Japan. France 
secured Kwanchowman, in Kwantung, declaring this was 
necessary in order *'to restore the balance of power in the 
Far East.*' 

In the early Summer of 1898, Emperor Kwang Hsu, who 
had previously left all governmental aff'airs to his suxA, the 
Empress Dowager, took over affairs of government hmiseif. 
To the surprise of everyone he entered on a series of reforms 
as ambitious as the}; were visionarr. He gathered about him 
some of the most radical reformers in the country and for 100 
days issued edict after edict which threw down established 
institutions and set up new ones. The Manchu nobles were 
to be sent abroad that travel might broaden their minds. 
Temples were to be replaced by schools in which western 



S8 HANDBOOK FOR CHINA 

learning w^s taught, and the publication of newspapers, which 
hitherto had been studiously suppressed, was to be encouraged 
and promoted. 

The reactionary forces set in before any of these proposed 
reforms were effective. The Manchu nobles appealed to the 
old Empress Dowager to assert her rights as an ''ancestor**" 
and again take over the control of the governm.ent. In Sep- 
tember 189S the visionary period of reform came to an 
inglorious end. The Emperor was seized by a band of palace 
guards and for the rest of his life remained a virtual prisoner 
com.pletely under the domination of his aunt. In a very short 
space of time all the reform edicts had been nullified and 
the government of China was again in the hands of the reac- 
tionaries, many of the reformers being executed. 

A similar reaction took place in the provinces. The 
chagrin at the defeat of China by Japan had led to an 
increased interest in and demand for western learning, and 
many societies had been formed for the translation of western 
books into Chinese. The change came with the acts of ag- 
gression by the foreign powers and the granting of the railway 
concessions. This anti-foreign feeling was most intense in 
Shantung, where it resulted in the organization of the Boxers, 
a fanatical secret society ha.ving for its purpose the driving out 
of all foreigners from China and the complete elimination of 
foreign influence. The leaders declared themselves immune 
from harm by foreign bullets and gave each member a talis- 
man which would insure similar protection for him. The 
movement rapidly grew in strength under the .encouragement 
of officials. 4 

■ . In May and June, tqoo, the long-threatened trouble broke 
oat and not until then did foreigners appreciate the gravity of 
the situation. A number of Shantung villages occupied by 
Christian converts were destroyed, the converts massacred 
and several missionaries killed. The whole of North China 
was overrun by Boxers who tore up railway tracks robbed, 
looted, and massacred. In a short time they had reached the 
capital itself, and the city was thrown into a turmoil of excite- 
Ulent. A small mixed body of marines was hurriedly brought 



HISTORICAL SKETCH 5S^ 

to guard the Legations. Foreign residents hastily gathered in 
the Legation compounds and a state of siege began in the 
early part of June. The Chancellor of the Japanese Legation 
and Baron von Ketteler, the German Minister, were murdered* 
From June 14, Peking was entirely cut oft from communication 
with the rest of the world and little was known of the 
Legations until almost two months later. 

A mixed force of about 2000 men consisting of British^ 
French, German, Russian, Austrian, American, Japanese and 
Italian troops left Tientsin early in June to repair the railway 
to Peking. It was set upon by large bands of Boxers and 
retreated with a great deal of difficulty, the loss of life being^ 
heavy. The foreign settlements in Tientsin were attacked 
and, fearing that an attempt would be made to cut off com- 
munication with the sea, the allied foreign admirals captured 
the Taku forts. Reinforcements of foreign troops arrived and 
Tientsin was cleared of Boxers, but with a loss to the allies of 
over 700 killed and wounded. 

After the taking of the Taku forts, China rashly declared 
war on the rest of the world and there was no longer any 
doubt as to the issues. Regular Chinese soldiers joined the 
Boxer forces and all of the resources of the govenment were 
pitted against the allied troops. 

Many additional forces were sent to Tientsin to join in 
the re:ief of the Legations, but international jealousies and . 
misunderstandings contributed to inexcusable delays. On 
July 6, the Japanese government decided to embark two 
divisions which had been mobilized. British troops from 
India began to arrive in the early part of August and at the 
same time American troops from Manila. A relief column of 
20,000 men set out for Peking on August 4 and after meeting 
with many difficulties and some loss of life arrived there on 
August 13 and on the following day entered the city and 
raised the siege. The Boxers during all this time had kept 
the Legations constantly under fire and there had been heavy 
loss of life. The band of marines, bluejackets, soldiers and 
civilians who made up the guard for the Legations had never 
numbered more than 500 and at the time the siege was raised. 



60 HANDBOOK FOR CHINA 

90 had h^en killed and 131 wounded. When the foreign 
troops entered, the Empress Dowager and the Emperor fled 
from Peking to Sianfii. 

Peking had suffered terribly from the Boxer activities. 
In their efforts to destroy all foreign property, fires had been 
set which spread over a large part of the city, destroying the 
business section. Foreign and Chinese houses alike had been 
looted, and a great part of the city was in ruins. The arrival 
of the allied forces added to the devastation for the soldiers 
looted uninterruptedly lor several days. Order was finally 
restored, and then began a long series of negotiations, ham- 
pered, as the relief had been, by mutual jealousies of the 
foreigners. 

Each nation had a long list of indemnities demanded for 
property and lives lost and as a punishment to China. At 
length it was decided that China should pay an indemnity of 
£67,500,000, in annual instalments extending over a period 
of 40 years. The Taku forts were to be demolished so as to 
give access from the sea to the Legations in case of another 
attack and permanent garrisons were to be established by the 
foreign powers both at the Legations in Peking and on the 
way to the sea. In addition a number of the leaders of the 
Boxer movement were executed, others allowed to commit 
suicide, and apologies were conveyed to Germany for the 
. murder of her Minister. 

There were a few further outbreaks of Boxer activities in 
190 1 and 1902, but the Boxers no longer had the sympathy of 
the government, and most effective measures were taken to 
suppress any activity against foreigners. 

Russia's need for an ice-free port led to her designs to 
secure complete control of Manchuria. Her demands made 
shortly after the Boxer trouble amounted virtually to annexa- 
tion and Viceroy Yuan Shih K'ai urged on China the necessity 
of warlike preparations. But in the meantime Japan, having 
her own plans regarding the development of Manchuria, grew 
tired of the vacillating policy of China and took action her- 
self, dealing directly with St. Petersburg. The result of these 
negotiations was war, in which Japati succeeded, and took over 



HISTORICAL SKETCH 61 

from Russia the special privileges which had been granted to 
that country in the Southern part of Manchuria, including the 
lease of Port Arthur. 

Through all the turmoil of the war with Japan, the Boxer 
trouble, and other events of history of China, the reform 
movement which in some places showed anti-dynastic tenden- 
cies became more powerful and the throne itself began 
preparations for the adoption of a form of constitutional 
monarchy. Edicts were issued in 1906 promising this great 
change at some indefinite date. A few years later a more 
definite step was taken in the issuance of a decree fixing the 
convocation of a parliament in 1917. The reformers were 
jubilant for they believed a genuine desire for change was felt 
in Peking. 

Two months after issuing this decree, Emperor Kwang 
Hsu died, the death of the Dowager Empress occurring the 
next day. One of her last acts was to secure the accession to 
of the throne of Pu Yi, the infant son of Kwang Hsu's brother, 
Prince Chung. Immediately on his accession to the throne 
in the latter part of igo8, Prince Chung became Regent and 
inaugurated a change in policy. He dismissed Yuan Shih 
K'ai, and other leaders of the conservative reform movement 
and nothing more was done to further the reform program. 

In the few years following, revolutionary activities, 
secretly promoted by many leaders, grew so rapidly that in the 
early part of 1911 the leaders were unaWe longer to hold it in 
check. The plans of the national government to borrow 
money from foreign banks and nationalize all the railways of 
China led to serious riots in Szechuan, where the people 
objected to the government taking over a property they had 
promoted. There were other local complications which tend- 
ed to accentuate the grievances of the people and Szechuan 
was in a state of open rebellion in September. 

In October, the activities of the revolutionaries in the 
three cities of Hankow, Wuchang and Hanyang had become 
so noticeable that the Viceroy took active measures to suppress 
them. He had thrown a number of them in jail and beheaded 
others when the accidental explosion of a bomb in the Russian 



62 HANDBOOK FOR CHINA 

concession of Hankow revealed the location of one of the 
revolutionary headquarters. The Viceroy vv'as informed of 
the discovery and at once a thorough search of Wuchang 
began, several suspected rebels being beheaded. The vigorous 
measures taken by the Viceroy to suppress the movement 
compelled the revolutionists to take action at once. A small 
number of soldiers mutinied, were joined by others and with- 
in twenty- four hours the Viceroy and other officials had been 
compelled to flee while the rebels under the leadership of Li 
Yuan Hung took complete possession of the three cities. 

Imperial troops from the North were sent against the 
rebels, but the anti-dynastic movement spread over all the 
country with startling rapidity. The loyal troops were able 
to make some headway against the rebels at Hankow, but 
the Republican army grew rapidly, and city after city in the 
South drove out the Manchu officials, declaring allegiance ta 
the provisional Republican government. At some places the 
bitter race feeling led to bloody massacres of the Manchus,. 
neither women nor children escaping. 

Within a month after the outbreak of the fighting in 
Hankow, fourteen of the eighteen provinces of China had 
thrown off Manchu authority and sent representatives to the 
provisional Republican government. The Manchus made 
frantic efforts to stem the rising tide of Republicanism and 
regain the affections of the people, w^hich had been forfeited 
by so many years of misrule. Yuan Shih K'ai, who had been 
so humitiatingly dismissed by the Prince Regent, was 
racalled to the service of the throne and rapidly advanced in 
power. Imperial Edicts were issued containing abject apolo- 
gies for the poor government and injustices of the past and 
promising even more than the reformers had demanded in the 
way of improvements for the future. 

Dr. Sun Yat Sen arrived in China during the latter part 
of December and w^as at once elected president of the pro- 
visional Republican government, the capital being established 
in Nanking. In the meantime two commissioners had been 
appointed to decide on the future form of government, Dr. 
Wu Ting-fang representing the Republicans and Tang Shao 



HISTORICAL SKETCH 6J 

Yi the Imperialists. These negotiations ended on February 
10, 1912, when an Imperial Edict announced the abdication 
of the infant Emperor and appointed Yuan Shih K'ai to carry 
out the formation of the Republican form of government. 
The edict made provision for an annual allowance for the 
support of the Imperial Clan. 

Shortly after the publication of this edict, the Republican 
Assembly in session at Nanking accepted the resignation of 
Sun Yat Sen and elected Yuan Shih K'ai as president. The 
coalition Republican government was then established in 
Peking. 



64 



HANDBOOK ^OR CHINA 



RELIGIONS OF CHINA 



I 




Buddhist Priest 



HERE are in China five religions — 
Taoism, Confucianism, Buddhism, Mo- 
hammedanism and Christianity. Of 
these Taoism and Confucianism are 
native religions, the others having been 
introduced from foreign lands. Budd* 
hisni and the two native religions are 
the most popular and though they con- 
tain conflicting elements many claim 
adherence to all, while the temples of 
each have borrowed many gods from 
the others. As the Chinese can see 

accepting more than one religion, na 



AO objection to 
reasonable estimate can he made of the relative strength 
of the adherents of Confucianism, Buddhism and Taoism. 
One may "belong'* to all three, just as in America he may 
be a Methodist, Free Mason and Democrat However, in 
general it may be said that Confucianism is the belief of 
scholars and officials while the degenerate forms of Buddhism 
and Taoism appeal to the more ignorant classes. The fol- 
lowers of Mahomet hold aloof from the other religions and 
their temples or mosques contain no strange gods. Dififerent 
authorities place their number at 9 to 15 million. Christian 
converts number about two million. (f" 

Taoism. — This religion was founded on the teachings of 
Laotze, a sage born in 604 B. C. in the present province of 
Honan. According to tradition he was an adult at birth,, 
from which circumstance he derived his name of Ivaotze, or 
"old boy.'' He taught contemplation and retirement as a 
means of spiritual purification and the attainment of the Tao,, 
or ''correct road,** a word which he used to signify the highest 
spiritual ideals of mankind. Laotze spent his life in study 
and teaching and about 500 B. C, old and discouraged at the 
failure of men to accept his doctrine, he determined to quit 
China and started on a journey to the West, to Tartary or 



RELIGIONS OF CHINA 65 

Tibet. Many Taoists claim that he found his way to India 
and was really the founder of Buddhism, which, if a fact, 
would justify the Taoist theft of popular Buddhist gods. His 
teachings are incorporated in a profound book Tao Teh 
King which Taoists regard as the final authority in religious 
matters. According to one authority.* "The pure Taoism of 
the Tao Teh King is as much quoted in every age of Chinese 
history, officialdom, and poetr}^ as Shakespeare is quoted in 
the literature and speech of modern England ; and though 
officially Confucianism is the orthodox official belief, it is 
Taoism, or rather the ancient natural religion as interpreted 
and expressed by Laotze, which really forms the character of 
the gentleman philosopher in China. The impassiveness, 
stoicism, democratic feeling, contempt for profuse luxury and 
vulgar show, patience, humility, calmness, deliberation, aver- 
sion from imperial puffery, boastfulness, and military glory 
which characterize the best Chinese minds are Shinto Taoist 
rather than Confucian in spirit; and the fact that men in re- 
sponsible positions only too frequently give way in fact to 
cupidity, sensuality and cowardice in no way prevents the same 
men in theory from honestly aspiring to, admiring and teach- 
ing their true ideals; just as with us, a man may be or try to 
be a convinced Christian gentleman, although occasionally 
he may take a drop too much, or yield to business frauds and 
feminine seductions." 

Laotze*s teachings are admirable but th.^re is a great gap 
between them and the Taoism of the pre:^ent day, which has 
incorporated into its temples local gods and beliefs and de- 
generated into lower forms of mysticism and geomancy. The 
priests **live in temples and small communitic: with their 
families, cultivating the ground attached to the establishment, 
and thus perpetuate their body; many lead a wandering life, 
and derive a precarious livelihood from the sale of charms and 
medical nostrums. They study astrology and profess to have 
dealings with spirits, their books containing a great variety of 
stories of priests who have done wonderful acts by their help. 



•^. H. Parker in "China and Religion." 



66 HANDBOOK FOR CHINA 

They long endeavored to find a beverage which would ensure 
immortality. They are now looked upon as ignorant cheats 
and designing jugglers, who are quite as willing to use their 
magical powers to injure their enemies as to help those who 
seek their aid/'t 

The Taoist hierarchy is presided over by a pope who lives 
in the town of Shang Shing Kung near the sacred mountain 
of Lung Lu Shan in Kiangsi province. An important part of 
his establishment consists of many sealed jars in which he has 
imprisoned evil spirits which he keeps in subjection in con- 
sideration of numerous gifts. 

The Taoist priests are distinguished by their slate-colored 
robes. Their temples often contain hundreds of gods but of 
these the chief (according to Dr. Timothy Richard) are Yu 
Hwang Shangti, Tai Shang Lao Kun, Shiwangmu, Laotze, 
Chwangtze, Chang Tao Ling (the first Taoist pope), Lu Tung 
Pin, Kiu Chang Chun, Tien How (the sailors' goddess) and 
Ching Hwang, the city god. 

''Taoist temples are built upon the same general plan as 
the temples dedicated to the Buddhist cult. The adherents of 
Laotze have borrowed from the Buddhist bonzes the interior 
decorations of their sacred halls, as well as the plastic repre- 
sentation of divinities, the worship of idols, and many of their 
ritual ceremonies. The Buddhist triad is replaced by an 
imposing triad of supreme deities called Shang Ti, who preside 
over the jade paradise of the Taoist heavens; statues of 
Laotze and of the eight immortals, called Pa Hsien, are posed 
in prominent places; and there are separate shrines for the 
three star-gods of happiness, rank and longevity, and for a 
multitude of lesser lights of the faith whose name is legion. 
The sacrificial vases, candlesticks and incense burners, as well 
as the other ritual surroundings, bear distinctive Taoist sym- 
bols and emblems/'* 

Buddhiem. — Shakyamuni, the name by which Buddha 
is generally known in China, was born in the fifth or sixth 



tS. Wells Williams in "The Middle Kingdom." 
♦Stephen W. Bushell in "Chinese Art." 



BUDDHISM (57 

century before Christ but it was not until the early part of the 
Christian Era that his teachings reached China, where they 
were destined to-have a profound effect on Chinese thought 
and to leave an indelible impression on art. About A. D, 65 
a Chinese Emperor as the result of a dream sent a mission to 
the West for priests to teach Buddhism. The mission found 
its way to India and two years later returned to the Chinese 
capital with the first of a great band of zealous missionaries 
who for more than a thousand years came to China both by 
the northen land route and the southern sea route. It has 
l)een suggested that the first missionaries were sent for because 
of some vague rumors of the teachings and death of Christ 
which may have reached China at that time. Buddhism 
rapidly gained popularity and today the Buddhist priests pro- 
t)ably outnumber the Taoist. ''Their demonolatry allows the 
incorporation of the deities and spirits of other religions, and 
goes even further, in permitting the priests to worship the 
gods of other pantheons, so they could adapt themselves to 
the popular superstitions of the countries they went to, and 
ingraft all the foreign divinities into their calendar as they 
saw fi.t. The power of Buddhism in China has been owing 
chiefly to its ability to supply the lack of certainty in the pop- 
ular notions respecting a future state and the nature of the 
gods who govern man and creation. Confucius uttered no 
speculation about those unseen things, and ancestral worship 
confined itself to a belief in the presence of the loved ones, 
who were ready to accept the homage of their children. The 
longing of the soul to know something of the life beyond the 
grave was measurably supplied by the teachings of Shakya- 
muni and his disciples, and, as was the case with Confucius, 
was illustrated and enforced by the earnest, virtuous life of 
their founder." 

It is probably not far wrong to say that pure Buddhism is 
unknown among the great mass of its followers. Though the 
sutras have been translated into Chinese the liturgies used in 
the temple have only been transliterated, Chinese characters 
representing the sounds of the original Sanscrit words. As 
the priests are unfamiliar with Sanscrit, the occasional Budd- 



68 BA27DBOCK f OR CHINA 

hist service one will hear is just as intelligible to the tourist 
as to the priests who perform it. 

One of the interesting features of Buddhist teaching in 
China is a system of merits and demerits which allows one to 
keep books on his virtues and vices and at any time to strike 
a balance which will show his credit in heaven. Ten points 
are allowed for making a road or digging a well, thirty for 
the gift of enough ground for a grave. Against these credit 
marks, which are computed on an elaborate scale covering 
almost every possible good act, must be charged the demerits 
reckoned by an equally elaborate scale. Thus to level a tomb 
costs fifty demerits and to dig up a corpse one hundred. 

The priests take a vow of celibacy and abstinence from 
meat and wine, wear no skin or woolen garments and shave 
the entire head. Begging, the sale of incense paper and 
charms, the cultivation of the temple grounds and fees receiv- 
ed for the performance of funeral rites afford them a means 
of support. They are gathered in monasteries and nunneries. 
The nuns are few in number as compared with the priests. As 
they shave their heads and wear clothing like that of the 
priests, it is frequently difficult to distinguish them. 

Most statistics of Buddhism are very much in error. It is 
often spoken of as having a greater number of followers (500 
millions) than any other religion. This error arises from the 
supposition that all the 400 millions of China are Buddhists, 
forgetting that (not counting Mohammedans or Christians) 
there are few who could not with equal truth be called Taoists 
or Confucianists. 

The Chinese Buddhist temple usually comprises a number 
of semi-detached halls, grouped about rectangular courts, with 
the principal building in the center. The entrance is guarded 
b}'- a pair of carved stone lions and on festival days the wooden 
columns beside the entrance are hung with banners and 
lanterns. In the vestibule are always ranged the gigantic 
figures of the **Four Great Kings," while in the center are 
usually the images of Maitreye, the Buddhist messiah, and 
Kuan Ti, the god of war. Maitreye, better known by his 
Chinese name of Milo Fo, is a smiling and fat-bellied Chinese^ 



CONFUCIANISM 69 

while Kuan Ti is a mailed figure in ancient costume seated on 
a chair. In the Lama temples, Maitreye is depicted as a 
dignified and commanding figure. 

Buddha is always the central figure in the triad enthroned 
in the position of honor in the main hall, the other two usually 
being favorite disciples. Life-size figures of the eighteen 
disciples who attained emancipation from rebirth are ranged 
near by. Kuan Yin, the goddess of mercy, is usually enshrin- 
ed in a separated hall behind the main building. She is the 
central figure of a group of three, the others being Wenchu, 
the ''god of wisdom*' and Pu Hsien. the "all good.'' In addi- 
tion to these principal gods there are usually hundreds of idols 
ranged along the walls representing lesser divinities and saints. 

Confucianism. — Confucius, born B. C. 551 in what is now 
the province of Shantung, was a contemporary of Laotze and 
like him devoted much attention to the study of the old tradi- 
tions of Chinese history. It was on the lessons taught by 
\hese traditions that both Laotze and Confucius based their 
(teachings, though different and in some aspects opposing con- 
clusions were reached. Laotze has been described as "a 
rugged, radical denouncer of the Jeremiah or Carlyle type. 
Confucius was a man of comfort, order, reverence and court- 
liness." Pure Confucianism cannot be called a religion in the 
western sense, as it is only a system of ethicSj based en the 
old Chinese legends and the court ritnal. Confucius codified 
the five relations of Chinese life which embraced the duties of 
ruler and minister, husband and wife, father and son, elder 
and younger brother, friend and friend. He taught loyalty, 
faithfulness, filial piety, respect for seniority, and sincerity. 
His study was of the relation of man to man and he declined 
to discuss a future state. He was once asked about his belief 
in God and replied that as he had not been able to solve all 
the mysteries of earth he could not be expected to solve those 
of heaven, ^^ Again he said, ''Heaven does not talk, and yet the 
four seasons come with regularity." Confucius differed from 
Lnotze (and in that probably laid the foundations for the 
official adoption of his teachings) in that while Laotze was a 
sturdy democrat, Confucius was always a courtier, whose 



70 HANDBOOK FOR CHINA 

teachings were designed to encourage obedience on the part of 
the people to their rulers. Laotze expressed some contempt 
for mere earthly relations, while Confucius made these his 
chief stud3^ He devoted great attention to the perfection of 
rites and ceremonies, not only for the feudal court of Lu to 
which he was attached, but for the use of all his fellow coun- 
trymen. He gave minute attention to the nurture and educa- 
tion of children, the ceremonies of mourning the dead, and to 
all the smallest details of etiquette. 

Confucius died in 479 B. C. at the age of '/2 and it was 
not until about five centuries later that he became recognized 
as the great sage of China, a position which he holds officially 
and in the minds of most educated Chinese, though foreign 
students would be inclined to bestow that honor on Mencius 
who followed and expounded Confucius. About the beginning 
of the Christian Era Confucianism was officially adopted, 
several Emperors paying visits to his tomb. His family was 
elevated to the nobility and today his descendant in direct line 
bears the title of Duke. 

The orthodox Confucian temple is severely plain and 
contains, as the only objects of worship, the ancestral tablets 
of Confucius, Mencius and other worthies, but this is often 
elaborated by the addition of an image of Confucius sometimes 
accompanied b}' images of his disciples. 

Ancestral Worship. — Apart from the three religions 
previously mentioned, but sanctioned by all of them, exists the 
family cult commonly known as ancestral worship. Dr. S. 
Wells Williams,* to whom the writer is indebted for much 
that appears in these brief chapters on the religions of China, 
describes the cult as follows : - 

''In every household, a shrine, a tablet, an oratory or a 
domestic temple, according to the position of the family, 
contains the simple legend of the two ancestral names written 
on a slip of paper or carved on a board. Incense is burned 
before it daily, or on the new and full moons ; and in April 
the people everywhere gather at the family graves to sweep 



'In '*The Middle Kingdom.'* 



MOHAMMEDANISM 71 

them, and worship the departed around a festive sacrifice. 
To the children it has all the pleasant associations of our 
Christmas or Thanksgiving; and all the elder members of the 
family who can do so come together around the tomb or in the 
ancestral hall at the annual rite. Parents and children meet 
and bow before the tablet, and in their simple cheer contract 
no associations with temples or idols, monasteries or priests, 
processions, or flags and music. It is the family and a stranger 
intermeddleth not with it ; he has his own tablet to look to, 
and can get no good by worshiping before that bearing the 
names of another family. 

"As the children grow up, the worship of the ancestors 
whom they never saw is exchanged for that of nearer ones 
who bore and nurtured, clothed, taught, and cheered them in 
helpless childhood and hopeful youth, and the whole is thus 
rendered more personal, vivid and endearing. There is noth- 
ing revolting or cruel connected with it, but everything is 
orderly, kind, and simple, calculated to strengthen the family 
relationship, cement the affection between brothers and sisters, 
and uphold habits of filial reverence and obedience. Though 
the strongest rrtotive for this worship arises out of the belief 
that success in worldly affairs depends on the support given to 
parental spirits in hades, who will resent continued neglect by 
withholding their blessing, yet, in the course of ages, it has 
influenced Chinese character, in promoting industry and 
cultivating habits of domestic care and thrift, beyond all 
estimation/'* 

Mohammedanism. — In 755 a terrible rebellion broke forth 
in China under a Turk or Tartar leader, and the Emperor of 
China in his helplessness asked for help from the Arabs. 
Some of these came overland, others by sea via Canton, in 
numbers varying according to reports from 4000 to 100,000 and 
were quartered in garrisons in different parts of the Empire. 
When the rebellion was ended the Chinese Emperor sanctioned 
the Arabs marrying Chinese wives and settling down. Thus 
Mohammedan colonists were found all over the Empire. Even, 
before this time Mohammedanism had gained some foothold in 
China, for Arab traders had come to Canton and Hangchow 



72 HANDBOOK ^OR CHINA 

by sea while others found their way overland to Sianfu. They 
do not appear ever to have increased by means of converts 
made through a religiou:> propagandum, but mainly by natural 
increase of the original colonists. 

To this is probably due the remarkable fact that "while the 
Chinese annals are clear about the Persian and Babylonian 
religions which came and went during a couple of centuries, 
none of their histories record a single word about the introduc- 
tion into China of the Mohammedan faith.'-' 

The Mohammedans have not translated the Koran into 
Chinese for they consider the book too sacred to be put into a 
foreign language. On this account they have many theological 
colleges, where Arabic is taught to the ahungs, the preachers 
who expound the Koran every Friday in their mosques. But 
they have a few standard works in Chinese, explaining the 
main principles of Islam, which they do not offer for sale to 
outsiders, as they consider their religious literature too sacred 
for sale to the public. 

No idols are found in the Mohammedan mosques which 
are severely plain in contrast with the Buddhist or Taoist 
tem^ples. The mullah or ahung does not call the hours of 
prayer from a minaret but contents himself with shouting it 
from the front door of the mosque. Though he puts on special 
robes during the service, the ahung wcslts the ordinary Chinese 
garments at all other times. 

Mr. Broomhall in his book Islam in China gives the 
maximum of population of Mohammedans as 9,821,000. Au- 
thorities do not agree about the number, Tiie Mohammedans, 
own estimate is considerably larger, and is given in Hughes, 
Dictionary of Islam as 15,000,000. 

Christianity. — There are traditions that Christianity 
reached China before the end of the first century of the Chris- 
tian Era, when Ashvagosha in the court of Kanishka was 
converted, and v/hen a life of Buddha, who was confounded 
with Jesus Christ, was written. This life was the basis of 
Edwin Arnold's Light of Asia, 

While Western Christians were hard at work converting 
Europe, the Nestorian Christians set about the conversion of 



MGEAMMZDANISM 73 

Asia, at first from their original seat of Antioch ; and soon 
they had established bishops in Syria, Babylcn, Bagdad, India, 
Central Asia and China. There is good reason to believe 
that Nestorian missionaries had reached China as early as 
A. D. 500. Alopen, a Nestorian missionary, with a band of 
followers, one of whom was an Ethiopian, went to Sianfu the 
then capital of China in 635. The presence of the Nestorian 
missions in Sianfu is attested by the Nestorian Stone, bearing 
an inscription of 3500 words, consisting of a statement con- 
cerning the being of God, the sin of men, the coming and 
teaching of Christ and the work of Christian missionaries. 
When Marco Polo was in China during the Mongol dynasty 
he found many Nestorian Christians. 

The Franciscan mission began in China in the early part 
of the 14th century, when John of Monte Cprvino was received 
by Kublai Khan and built a church in Cambaluc where he 
remained 36 years, and "converted more than thirty thousand 
infidels." Monte Corvino was an immediate disciple of St. 
Francis of Assisi and is regarded as the first Roman Catholic 
missionary to China. 

Francis Xavier began his mission work in Japan, going 
there at the suggestion of a Japanese convert he had made in 
Malacca. In Japan he constantly met with the objection **If 
yours is the right religion why have the Chinese, from whom 
we get our civilization, not accepted it? *' He took the hint 
and began to make arrangements for a mission to China, 
going first to Malacca to get letters of introduction from the 
Portuguese authorities. Pie returned to Macao and died on 
an island near Canton without having set foot en the mainland 
of China. ^ 

In 1583 the Jesuit Father Ricci brought docks to China, a 
great novelty then, to present them to the Chinese authorities. 
On arriving at Peking he taught mathematics and science as 
well as Christianit}^ and was highly honored by all who 
knew him. He died in 1610 at the age of 58. Ricci was fol- 
lowed by Fathers Schall and Verbiest, both brilliant men, 
who were put in charge of the astronomical board at Peking 
to reform the calendar. 



74 HANDBOOK FOR CHINA 

From the time of Ricci to 1735 ^^^ Roman church sent 
five hundred missionaries to China and the learned Jesuits 
gained high honors in the capital. At length a controversy 
arose over the question of ancestor worship, some insisting that 
these rites were mere civil forms while others denounced them 
as redolent of idolatry and superstition. This dispute was 
carried to Rom.e and back to China again, the issue being 
finally decided against the rites. This was one of the main 
causes for the expulsion, shortly after 1735, of all Christian 
missionaries and the systematic persecution of Christians. 
Though the Roman Catholic missionaries never definitely 
abandoned the Chinese field, their activities were limited until 
the opening of the treaty ports in 1842. 

In 1807 Robert Morrison, the first British Protestant 
missionary to China, arrived in Canton. He was soon joined 
by Milne and together they translated the New Testament, and 
later the Old Testament, into Chinese. In 1823 Morrison's 
great Chinese-English dictionary in six volumes was published, 
and became the key by which Chinese literature was afterwards 
made known to the world. 

In 1830 the first American missionaries, Bridgman and 
Abeel, came to China. These British and American mission- 
aries soon founded hospitals and schools and distributed 
books and tracts wherever they went. As was the case with 
Roman Catholic missions, Protestant activity was limited until 
the opening of the treaty ports. Within a short time after this 
event, many of them, chiefly British and American, arrived 
and as soon as opportunity offered pushed into the interior. 

Protestant and Roman Catholic missionaries are now 
found scattered throughout the countrv, and there is scarcely 
a city of any importance which does not contain a community 
of native Christians, nor are there many places of importance 
wliich do not possess schools, hospitals, dispensaries, orphans' 
homes and other worthy institutions maintained by the mis- 
sionary societies. 

Christian mission statistics are as follows : — 

Roman Catholic missionaries 1469, Converts 1,430,000 

Protestant missionaries (including wives) 5171, Communica nts 370,000 

Total Christians x,86o;o6o 



SUPERSTITION 75 

Superstition. — Though not properly a part of any of the 
religions of China, geomancy and superstition play a very 
large part in the lives of the average Chinese, The native 
priests are not superior to the common people in this regard 
and divination has been for so long a part of their stock in trade 
that in the minds of the ignorant divination and religion are 
indistinguishable. A large part of Chinese popular super- 
stitions is embraced in the belief in fe7ig shui, or ''wind- 
and- water" rules. 

* The principles of geomancy depend much on two 
supposed currents running through the earth, known as the 
dragon and the tiger. A skillful observer can detect and de- 
scribe them, with the help of the compass, direction of the 
watercourses, shapes of the male and female ground, and their 
proportions, color of the soil, and the permutations of the 
elements. The common people know nothing of the basis on 
which this conclusion is founded, but give their money as their 
faith in the priest or charlatan increases." 

In Chinese belief, the spirits which inhabit various objects 
of nature have a profound influence over the life of man. It 
is the function of the geomancers to discover and sell charms 
for these evil spirits, locate their haunts and guard against 
their attacks by the building of walls, the tearing down of 
buildings or even the deflection of the courses of streams. 
Needless to say, no foreigner in the remotest way understands 
the rules of feng shui, but many who live in China have seen 
examples of the influence of its belief. 

The choice of a burial place is believed to aff cct the future 
of the surviving relatives and its choice is left to the geo- 
mancers. Malign influences will, it is believed, disturb the dead 
and cause him to wreak vengeance on those who have failed to 
provide him with a more comfortable habitation. Thus great 
efforts are put forth to secure a grave site which will bring 
about the happiest results and some families spend large sums 
for the service of the best geomancers that they can secure. 
That the "wind-and-water doctors" themselves believe in their 
solemn nonsense is indicated by Dr. Wells Williams' story of 
one who "after having selected a grave for a family was 



76 HANDBOOK FOR CHINA 

attacked with ophthalmia, and in revenge for their giving him 
poisonous food which he supposed had caused the malady, 
hired men to remove a large mass of rock near the grave, 
whereby its efficacy was completely spoiled." 

An electric light plant was located in one of the principr' 
Chinese cities several years ago, the smokestack towering up 
some distance from the 3'am^n, or office, of the chief official. 
The official suffered a period of illness and other misfortunes 
which convinced him that the feng shiii was not right, so he 
called in a geomancer. That worthy made a careful examina- 
tion of the neighborhood and decided that the evil spirits flew 
into the yamen from the vantage ground of the smokestack. 
A request for the removal of the smokestack was refused by 
the unimaginative foreigner who owned it. so the old entrance 
to the yamen was carefully blocked up and a new one cut on 
the opposite side of the building. After that the spirits did 
no more harm. 

Just inside temple and other doors will often be .«;een a 
screen equal in size to the door opening, which it is necessary to 
walk around before entering the temple. This is placed there 
because evil spirits can fly only in a straight line and have not 
the power to go around the screen. For the same reason, the 
bridges which lead across artificial lakes to the teahouse in 
the center follow a zigzag course, and blank walls are often 
built in front of doors which otherwise would be exposed to 
the direct attacks of the spirits. This kind of superstition is 
to be found in everything. When a Chinese is ill, he will 
send to the Taoist priests for a charm, which consists of a 
piece of paper with mystic characters. Tht paper is burned, 
he swallows the ashes, and is better at once. When a baby is 
born, a piece of raw ginger is hung outside the house as a 
polite means of warning strangers not to come inside, as the 
presence of a stranger near an infant is supposed to have a 
very bad influence. One of the amusing features of Chinese 
superstition is the practice, rather common in some places, of 
dressing small boys as girls in the hope that the spirits will be 
deceived thereby and will pay no attention to the supposed 
girlo 



SUPERSTITION 77 

These superstitious beliefs prevail among nearly all 
classes of Chinese and many who laugh at them are at the 
same time careful not to do anything which would, according 
lo popular belief, bring them ill luck. Each year every 
Chinese family purchases an almanac in which are listed the 
lucky and unlucky days and to a certain extent 'The actions of 
every member of the family are guided by the advices of this 
book. 



78 



HANDBOOK FOR CHINA 




ARTS AND INDUSTRIES 



orcelain.— Always ready to add to the 
glories of their ancient histor}^ Chinese 
writers ascribe the beginning of their 
pottery to a very remote time. There 
is no reason, however, to believe that 
the art is any older in China than else- 
where, though the Chinese are the world's 
greatest potters and have produced the 
most beautiful and valuable porcelain 
known. The pottery of China went 
through the same process of evolution as 
in other countries. The first rude bricks, 
baked in an open oven, were succeeded 
by moulded and scooped out pieces, 
made in imitation of the forms of their 
bronze, which had been developed 
several centuries earlier. During the 
Vase of Rang Hsi q^ow dynasty, 1122 to 249 B. C. the 
Period, valued at potter's wheel was known and books of 
$50,0G0 that period clearly describe the difference 

between moulded pottery and that made on the potter's wheeL 
From the very first knowledge we have of it, Chinese 
pottery was different from that of any other country, largely 
owing to the higher temperature at which it was fired, result- 
ing in a hard, vitrified ware. To the same cause must be 
ascribed types of glaze unknown elsewhere, and so different 
were the results obtained by the Chinese that for several cen- 
turies after the introduction of the ware to Europe, it remained 
a mystery to the European potters, who thought it entirely 
different from the ware they were producing. 

Somewhere about the time of Christ, glaze was discov- 
ered, the first mention of it being in the Earlier Han dynasty 
(206 B. C — A. D. 22), This glaze was dark greenish, the ware 
being vitrified, and so hard that it could not be scratched 
with a l<nife. The Chinese were the first to discover that at 
a high temperature pottery could be glazed with powdered 



PORC^LAIW 79 

felspithlc rock fliixed with limestone or marble. Out of this 
discovery, and the constant use of a very high temperature, 
with great care in the selection and preparation of the clays 
used, the Chinese developed the porcelains which mark the 
highest development of the art. But the development was 
slow, and the next thousand years after the discovery of glaze 
is included in the primitive period, the first of five periods 
into which the chronology of Chinese porcelain is divided. 

The primitive period ended with the Yuan dynasty (1368), 
and before its close great advancement had been made from 
the early brown pots, unglazed, and daubed with various 
colored clays. During the Tang dynasty, in the seventh 
century, the industry began to flourish and successfully 
compete with the much older bronzes for the attention of art 
connoisseurs. In the following Sung dynasty (960 to 12S0), 
the industry w^as firmly established under Imperial patronage, 
a royal manufactory being established at Ching-teh-chen, this 
district remaining ever since as the center of the industry. 
Contemporary writings describe the porcelain of that period 
as being "blue as the sky, fragile as paper, bright as a mirror, 
a^d sonorous as a plaque of jade stone." 

Crackle is supposed to have been known during the 
latter part of this period. Its discovery was probably acci- 
dental, but the Chinese developed it to a high state of perfec- 
tion. To produce this effect, the piece, while being fired, 
was exposed to a sudden drop of the temperature, which 
caused the glaze to contract more rapidly than the body of 
the piece, and break into innumerable crackles. So well did 
the Chinese potters understand this process that they were 
able to produce at v/ill any size of crackle desired. 

The second period of Chinese porcelain coincides with 
the Ming dynasty (1368-1644), which is considered by the 
Chinese to have produced the most glorious products. The 
industry made much more rapid progress than in the preced- 
ing period. Daring the 14th century, the Chinese came in 
contact with Persian painted wares and at once began manu- 
facturing them. But the only colors in the Persian paint pot 
which could withstand the fierce heat of the Chinese kilns 



80 HANDBOOK ^OR CHINA 

were cobalt blue and copper. Floral designs came into ex- 
istence at the same time. The early decorations were stamped, 
the designs being strongly silhouetted by raised outlines. 
The famous green porcelain known as celadon was produced 
about this time, probably being made in imitation of the 
highly prized jade stone. The Chinese place the highest value 
on the blue and white wares made during the reigns of Yung 
Lo, Suen Te, and Ching Hwa (1403-1488). This 15th century 
blue and white set the standard for all blue and white produc- 
tion of a later date. The magnificent sang de ba^uf was 
first produced at this time. Another ware of this period was 
the eggshell porcelain, on some pieces elaborate designs being 
engraved before firing. Some of the designs are so delicate 
that they cannot be seen until held to the light. The yellow 
pieces of Hung Chi (1488-1505) and Cheng-te (1506-1521) 
are most prized. 

Toward the end of the i6th century, China began to 
produce porcelain with colors fixed over the glaze. Previously 
the potters had been confined to cobalt and copper, results 
from the latter being 'very uncertain. In the new process, 
the pieces were refired after fixing the decoration. The first 
colors used were green, purple, and yellow, red over an 
underglaze of blue being added later. During this time, the 
production was enormous, and 3h;^4-nents to Europe began, by 
way of Portuguese trading vessels. This led to certain 
changes in design, to comply with what was thought to be 
European taste. 

The most famous porcelain of the Mmg dynasty was pro- 
duced during the short reign of Suen-Te (1426-1436), the 
favorite design being pale blue flowers. The product of Ching 
Hwa (1465- 1488) is most frequently copied. The system of 
marking china by means of characters which show the reign 
under which the piece was mads originated during th2 Ming 
dynasty, but only one piece of a set was marked. Decora- 
tions of this period are usually in five colors, green pre- 
dominating, and hence such pieces are classed as famille vert. 
Other colors used were : blue under the glaze, red, yellow and 
deep purple over it. 



PORCELAIN 81 

The third period was introduced with the Manchu dynas- 
ty, 1644, and extended to the end of the reign of Kang Hsi, 
1723. The Imperial pottery works were destroyed more than 
once in the 17th century as a result of rebellions and the 
Manchu invasion, but the early Manchu Emperors gave the 
industry their protection and their reigns saw the height of 
artistic production reached. Kang Hsi, the second of the 
Manchu Emperors, was the only ruler of China who remained 
on the throne for a complete cycle of sixty years, and during 
this time some of the most notable pieces v/ere produced. 
Attempts were made to reproduce the green and blood-red 
glazes of former times, but the results were different, and the 
sang de bceiif reached perfection. The blue and white pieces 
of the Ming dynasty were perfected not only with greater 
decorative skill but the cobalt blue was more brilliant and the 
purity and quality of the white glaze superior. The hawthorn 
ginger jars were produced. Many specimens of this period 
have no date marks at all, for a rather curious reason. In 
1677 the superintendent of the factory gave orders that the 
name of the Emperor should no longer be used as a mark, 
because with his name on it the accidental breaking of a 
piece of porcelain would amount to an act of disrespect to the 
Emperor. Pieces marked with empty rings may be ascribed 
to the few years following 1677, during which the order was 
enforced, though this mark is very frequently copied. The 
three most famous monochrome glazes of the reign were: 
apple green, sang de bceuf and peach bloom. During the 
Kang Hsi period the famille vert, or five colored porcelain 
with a brilliant green usually predominating, were first per- 
fected and are much sought after and highly prized by con- 
noisseurs who also place a high value on what is termed '"three 
color Kang Hsi." Some of the specimens of the latter have 
sold at enormous prices, especially those with the black glazed 
background. The marks of the period vary but the most 
common are double circles and the fungus leaf. 

Following this came the short Yung Cheng period, which 
lasted thirteen years, from 1723 to 1736. Short as it was, the 
period marked many advances, largely because of the personal 



S2 HANDBOOK FOR CHINA 

interest taken in the art by the Emperor. The drawing is 
better than that of any preceding period, and the designs were 
assigned to smaller space on the pieces, so that the porcelain 
itself could be admired. Owing to an inferior supply of 
cobalt, the blue was not so good as before^ but to balance this 
defect, the rose color, from gold, was discovered, giving birth 
to the great rose family. The fine stipple work of Yung 
Cheng, distinguishes it from the broad, bold washes of color 
of the preceding period. 

The Kien Lung reign (1736-1795) will always stand out 
as a distinctive period, the fourth in the cycle. It represents 
the highest technical skill and the perfection of not only 
quality but details and finesse. The beautiful famille rose was 
perfected and reached its highest stage of development. With 
the perfection of details, however, a certain amount of the 
forceful character and strength which characterized the Kang 
Hsi period was lost. During the first part of the period of 
Kien Lung there were but few changes from the ware of the 
preceding reign. Then a new director of the Imperial works 
was appointed and further experiments in the rose color were 
carried out. The pink, ruby and rose eggshell plates and 
dessert services which were so popular abroad were produced 
during this reign. As this period was so much longer than 
that of Yung Cheng, the production was larger and for that 
reason the period is of more importance from the standpoint 
of the collector. However, there is little difference in the class 
of production, and it is difficult even for the expert to tell to 
which reign many pieces belong, unless the distinguishing 
marks are present. 

The modern period of porcelain making in China extends 
from the close of the reign of Kien Lung to the present time 
and has been distinguished by no remarkable developments. 
The industry has suffered a great deal through rebellions and 
misrule, the works at Ching-teh-chen being destroyed by the 
Taipings. A few neW types have been produced, but the 
potters have chiefly confined themselves to the reproduction 
of older masterpieces, to copying Wedgwood and Sevres and 
making pottery in semi-European style to meet the demands of 



PAINTING 83 

the treaty port Chinese. A poor quality of blue and white has 
been made in large quantities to meet the demand from Europe. 

It is most difficult for any but the expert to determine 
the period to which specimens of porcelain belong, for the 
potters have always copied the best works of the preceding 
periods. As the mark has been copied also, it seldom means 
anything but an indication of the period to which the par- 
ticular type of porcelain belongs. The collector will find 
nothing earlier than the Ming dynasty in the shops, of which 
there are dozens in every city of China. If there are any 
specimens of the Sung dynasty extant, they are in the great 
collections of the royal family, and former Manchu officials. 
The pieces offered in the shops today belong to a much later 
date, few of them being more than loo years old. 

References for further reading: *^ Chinese Porcelain^ 
by W, C. Gulland; *'Chats on Oriental China/' by J. F. 
Blocker; '^Chinese Art,'* by Stephen W. BushelU 

Painting. — China can boast of a succession of great 
painters for the past twelve centuries, with some worthy of 
note who lived and worked much earlier. Chinese writing 
being, in its earlier form, merely a kind of pictorial repre- 
sentation of ideas, writing and painting developed together, 
the distinguished penman usually being also a painter of note. 
By the end of the 3rd cent-siry B. C. painting was a developed 
art as distinct from writing and since that time several s-hooh 
have flourished and given place to later developments. 

It is unnecessary to go into a history of the art, which 
followed about the same periods of prosperity and decline as 
porcelain making. Developed without any outside influence, 
Chinese painting is entirely different from European, and 
foreigners, until they adapt themselves to the Chinese point of 
view, find in it much to be desired. Chinese painting is an 
art of lines, rather than of color, and one in which imagination 
and poetry are more important than technical details. The 
symbolic figures of Buddhism and Taoism and famous figures 
of Chinese history make up the principal subjects of the 
pictures. The painter always strives for harmony of composi- 
tion and subtlety of conception. If a beautiful fe.r.ale char- 



84 HANDBOOK FOR CHINA 



( 



acter is to be portrayed, she must be surrounded by graceful 
animals, billowy clouds or swaying reeds. If it is a stern 
warrior who makes up the principal figure in the picture, the 
artist will probably paint in massive mountain peaks in the 
background. The first thing the foreigner notices in Chinese 
paintings is the lack of perspective. The Chinese say it is 
unreal and therefore inartistic to represent space and distance 
on a flat surface where it cannot exist. 

The paintings of the old masters are carefully hoarded in 
private collections but the shops offer many clever imitatiqig. 
Good prints of the best paintings are now on the market and 
can be secured at cheap prices. 

Reference for further reading: "History of Chinese 
Pictorial Art,'' by H. A. Giles. 

Bronzes. — Bronze work represents the oldest form of art 
in China, and the history of the development of bronze can 
be traced fairly clearly for 3000 years. The earliest speci- 
mens in the collections of to-day date back to the Shang and 
Chow dynasties (1766-255 B. C.) These bronze vessels are 
chiefly of a ceremonial type and the forms have been repeated 
in both bronze and brass to the present day with but slight 
changes. The older pieces display a savagery of design in 
contrast to the delicacy and refinements of later Chinese art. 
Very early in the history of the art, conventional designs of 
real or fabulous animals were used as decorations. The early 
pieces are covered with red, green and brown patina, and later 
pieces show excellent counterfeits of these evidences of age. 
The artificial patina is often put on with wax, *'but the decep- 
tion is at once revealed by scraping the surface with a knife, 
or by immersing the suspected piece in boiling water." 

In pieces dating about 500 B. C. the highest development 
of the art is found. Specimens were magnificently docorated 
with gold and silver and the earlier crudities of technique 
had disappeared. The later pieces are more elaborate and 
less austere in design. More refinement of form «pas shown 
after the 2nd century A. D., owing to the influence of Buddhism. 
The art suffered a decline in the Tang dynasty, was revived 
in the Sung and later by the Ming, the highest excellence of 



AKCHITECTUKE AND MON-M^NTS 85 

the renaissance being reached, under the reign of Kang Hsi^ 
the great Manchu Emperor. Chinese dealers often try to 
cheat the traveler by offering him clever brass imitations of 
old bronze pieces. 

Architecture and Monuments. — Throughout the history 
of China she has clung to the use of bricks and wood as build- 
ing materials with the result that there are in the country but 
few buildings either of great antiquity or of imposing stucture. 
One type of architecture prevails now, as it has always pre- 
vailed and one who goes to China today will see buildings but 
little different from those in which Confucius lived. There 
are few structures in China more than two stories high. The 
crowded cities are almost entirely made up of buildings of that 
size, and the narrow dark streets give no encouragement to 
architectural ambitions. The effect of the few fine facades is 
lost for the same reason. 

The roof is the predominant feature of the Chinese house, 
with its elaborately curved corners, projecting eaves and grace- 
ful sw^eeping lines. The construction of Chinese houses is 
singularly similar to that of American steel buildings, as the 
walls are not retaining walls. The structure is built up on 
pillars, which are later filled in with bricks and mortar. Often 
the roof is curiously ornamented wath sharp barbs and points 
which stick out in all directions, the object being to impale 
any evil spirits which may be flying about. For a similar 
superstitous motive all important buildings must face the 
South. Official buildings and pretentious residences are made 
up of a number of small buildings constructed around a series 
of courtyards and connected by pass-ages. 

The pagoda is the most striking type of Chinese building. 
There are several thousand of these structures in China, usually 
crowning the summit of a hill or the highest ground swell in 
a flat country, and it is a poor city indeed which does not 
boast of at least one. The erection of pagodas was often 
prompted by superstition. Some of them were put up by 
public subscription in order to propitiate the evil spirits and 
bring good luck to the town. Most of them are of seven or 
nine stories, while some are thirteen stories, the number of 



S6 HAND300K FOR CHINA 

stories being always odd, and therefore lucky. Buddhist tem- 
ples are usually found in the vicinity of the pagodas, the 
priests profiting by the stream of visitors. 

Often grouped in great numbers about ancient temples 
and scattered throughout every part of China will be found 
stone tablets, usually about six feet high and mounted on a 
turtle-shaped base. These are known as stupa and the inscrip- 
tions they bear usually refer to some event they were erected 
to commemorate or consist of transcriptions of the classics. 
Among foreigners the most famous stupa is the Nestorian 
Monument; mentioned in the article on religions (page 78.) 

Not so numerous are the pailows, more commonly known 
to foreign residents as ^'widows' arches." These are stone 
arches erected with official permission to commemorate some 
distinguished or virtuous resident. From the fact that some 
were erected hi honor of widows, foreigners have given them 
all the name of "widow*s arch," though many are dedicated 
to scholars, warriors and officials. The pailows are probably 
more numerous in Western China than in any other part of 
the countrj^ though many will be seen around Shanghai. 

Silk. — It is chiefly by means of silk that China maintains 
the balance of foreign trade, the annual exports of this article 
amounting to more than £13,000,000, while the Chinese 
estimate that twice that amount is used at home. Chinese 
history credits the invention of silk to Yuen Fei the Vv^ife of 
the Third Emperor, who, for that reason, has been deified and 
is worshipped as the goddess of the silk industry (lit-goddess 
of silk worms.) It is certain that silkworms were reared 
about her time (B. C 2600) and for many centuries the 
secret was jealously guarded by the Chinese. The methods of 
production were learned from China by Japan and the latter 
country now produces, for foreign sale, a larger amount of 
silk than China. China's annual production is increasing, but 
not so fast as the world's demand. 

Great care is taken in the cultivation of the mulberry 
tree, which forms the chief food of the silkworms. These 
trees are planted in rows five or six feet apart and are carefully 
pruned down seldom being allowed to grow to a height of 



SILK 87 

more than six feet. They live about fifty years. The wild 
mulberry, which attains a height of forty feet, is also used, but 
all of the fine silk is produced from the small domestic trees. 
The coarser kinds of silk, including pongee, are produced 
from worms which feed on oak leaves. 

The eggs of the silkworm, carefully preserved during the 
winter, are hatched out artificially about the time the mulberry 
leaves are ready to supply food for the worms. In iome 
places hatching trays not unlike poultry incubators are used, 
but many peasants hatch the worms by the heat of their bodies,. 
or between blankets placed beneath the bed. The newly 
hatched worms are no larger than a hair, and about one-tenth 
of an inch long, one ounce of eggs producing about 30,000 
worms. With their voracious appetites, the worms consume 
huge quantities of mulberry leaves, often moulting or casting 
their skins to make room for their rapid growth. The worms 
produced from one ounce of eggs will, in their short lifetime,, 
consume a ton of leaves. During this time, the worms are 
carefully tended, the peasants observing many superstitious 
precautions regarding them. They believe that any noise is 
very harmful, and when a visitor is taken into a feeding shed, 
he is cautioned not to make any sound, while the worms are 
informed of his arrival, so that any breach of etiquette he may 
make will not startle them. From the time they are hatched^ 
the worms are supplied plentifully with leaves, only good 
specimens being offered them. At maturit)^ after a life of 
about one month, the worms are two inches long. 

They then climb to the top of loose bundles of straw 
which have been provided for the occasion, and begin to spia 
the cocoons. The keepers watch them carefully at this time 
to prevent crowding, which would result in double cocoons. 
A few threads are attached to the straw by the worm, which 
immediately begins spinning, moving its head round and 
round and building the silken sheath, in which it encloses 
itself. The spinning is completed in from three to four days^ 
and if left undisturbed the moth will break through the sheath 
in another ten days. Instead, the cocoons are gathered, and 
the chrysalis killed within a few days after the spinning is 



88 HANDBOOK FOR CHINA 

complete. This can be done either by steaming the coeoons, 
or packing them with leaves and salt in a jar which is buried 
in the ground. 

The cocoons are sold to the filatures, a few uninjured 
ones being allowed to produce moths in order to supply eggs 
for the following crop. The cycle of the ordinary silk worm 
extends over the year, but some produce two crops of cocoons 
annually. The worms which feed on oak leaves are not fed 
by their keepers, but are placed on the trees, being removed 
to new trees as fast as they exhaust the leaves. They also 
spin their cocoons on the trees, from which they are later 
gathered. 

Of recent years large steam filatures have been established 
with foreign machinery in Shanghai, Canton, Hangchow, 
Hankow, Soochow and other places, and these to a great 
extent have replaced the more primitive methods of silk manu- 
facture. However, the hand reels and looms still produce 
enormous quantitfes of silk. More than 300 varieties are made 
by these primitive methods. Each silk-producing city is 
famous for the manufacture of one or more kinds of silk, the 
finest white cloth coming from Wusieh and the richest brocades 
being made at Soochow. Probably the best stocks in the 
country are to be found in the Chinese shops of Shanghai. 

Carving. — The patience and industry of the Chinese 
make them excellent carvers, though their work is distinguished 
by the tedious care with which it is produced rather than by 
its artistic qualities. Ivory is one of their favorite materials, 
and few are able to believe that the carved ivory balls, one 
inside another, sometimes to the number of twenty, can be 
produced without recourse to some trick. But this is the kind 
of work in which the Chinese carver delights. The outside 
ball is carved and through holes in the surface, tools are 
introduced and the inside balls carved one at a time. All arc 
then covered with minute designs. Elaborately carved and 
gilded wood pieces are used to decorate the fronts of shops and 
sometimes in private residences. Small images are carved 
from ivory, jade, soap stone, or seeds. A favorite material is 
gnarled roots, which are carved into fantastic shapes of genii. 



JEWELRY 89 

polished and varnished. Under the training of foreigners, the 
Chinese produce some magnificent wood pieces. At Siccawei, 
near Shanghai, the Jesuits maintain a furniture factory where 
Chinese workmen are employed. Some of the productions of 
this place have been used in decorating the palaces of Europe, 
and many travelers carry home one of their carved camphor 
wood or teakwood boxes as the richest trophy of a trip to the 
Orient. 

Jewelry. — Few travelers return from China without 
some piece of native jewelry, usually either jade or a piece of 
gold or silver of distinctive design. The Chinese rank jade 
as the most precious of stones and one who attempts to pur- 
chase a piece of the color particularly prized by the Chinese 
will find it at least as expensive as a diamond of equal weight. 
The favorite color is a fine apple green. Other shades of 
green, not so popular among the Chinese, are left to satisfy 
foreign tastes at very moderate prices. Much artificial jade 
is made in Germany and chrysoprase from Siberia is sold 
as jade. Som.e of the carved ornaments offered as jade are 
made of a greenish white soapstone. This particular fraud 
may be easily detected, for real jade is too hard to be scratched 
with a knife, while soap stone is very soft. Defective pieces 
of fade are frequently filled with wax and thus made to pass 
mjister as perfect specimens. 

Very fine pieces of filigree work in both gold and silver 
are produced by Chinese jewelers. The beautiful kingfisher 
feather work is peculiar to China. Some of these pieces are 
of striking beauty but they are not durable. The turquoise 
tinted side plumes of the feathers are only gummed on to thin 
plates and quickly wear off. The colors of kingfisher feathers 
are often imitated in enameling, an art at which the Chinese 
are very skillful. 

Many imitations of precious stones are sold in China. 
These are sold to the Chinese as imitations, but many foreign- 
ers are deceived thereby. Very rarely will the beads on 
mandarin chains be of real stones. The jade is glass, the 
turquoise enamel and the amber made of resin which will 
crumble into dust with age. 



90 HANDBOOK fOR CHINA 

It may be useful to know that the jeweler stamps the 
name of his shop inside any piece of gold he sells and thus 
binds himself to repurchase the piece at any time by weight 
without questioni^ig the quality of the metal. 

Cloisonne. — Peking is the center for the manufacture of 
cloisonn6 and one is advised to postpone any purchases of this 
beautiful ware until he reaches the capital. The prices in 
Shanghai are fairly satisfactory, but as a general rule Peking 
prices are far cheaper than those quoted in any other part of 
the country and a greater variety is oftered. 

In the manufacture of cloisonne, which can be seen any 
day in the factories of Peking, the design is outlined on a 
copper base with thin flat wires, sometimes of gold and silver^ 
but more often of copper. These wires are soldered on and 
when this process is completed the cells are filled with the 
eP7mel colors in the form of paste. The piece is then fired 
and the process of filling with enamel and firing is repeated 
until all the cells are completely filled. The enamel is then 
ground to a smooth surface with pumice stone, polished and 
the wires gilded. 

In the Peking factories (Lao Tien Li recommended) one 
may have any design copied. It should be remembered that 
the wires are only gilded and that on any piece such as a 
cigarette case which will receive much wear, this gilding will 
soon wear off. Vases and other purely ornamental pieces will 
not tarnish. 

Lace. — Lace making was unknown to the Chinese before 
the coming of the* missionaries, but is now quite important 
among the minor industries. As lac^e making has been taught 
by missionaries coming from all parts of the world, the visitor 
will find almost every variety of lace produced by the Chinese 
and at prices which cannot be duplicated elsewhere. But 
care should be observed by the purchaser, for with labor so 
cheap, there is a tendency to use cheap materials even in the 
most elaborate pieces. Those desiring it may have exact 
copies of laces made while in China, and at very small cost. 

Embroidery.— The same qualities of patience and in- 
dustry which have made the Chinese such excellent wood 



LACQUER 91 

carvers have made them equally good at embroidery. This 
is an art which they share with other nations of thte East, 
but the earlier development of the silk industry in China 
gives Chinese embroidery a longer history than that of any 
other country. 

Developed locally, there are many different styles of 
embroidery, varying both as to the stitch and the colors 
employed. One of the most famous of these is the Peking 
stitch, made by twisting the thread around the needle, the 
result being similar to the French knot, but much finer. The 
high esteem in which the Chinese hold all ancient products is 
more justified in embroidery than in many other things, for 
with the recent introduction of anilin dyes, and attempts to 
copy foreign patterns, the harmony and beauty of the older 
pieces has almost entirely disappeared. 

The richest examples of modern embroidery are to' be 
seen in theatrical costumes, for no producer of America or 
Europe ever lavished on his theatrical costumes one half of the 
expense that is borne by the actors themselves in China. One 
costume worn by an actor will have required the labor of ten 
or twelve women for five years^ and during the performance 
he will appear in many different garments. Naturally, fashions 
in these expensive gowns do not change rapidly. 

A great deal of embroidery is produced now for foreign 
sale b}' the women and girls in mission schools and the traveler 
will be able to secure fine pieces at but a fraction of the cost 
at home. A large quantity of embroidered mandarin robes 
and other purely Chinese products are offered for sale at the 
Chinese pawnshops and curio shops, often at prices which 
barely cover the original cost of the material. With the 
establishment of the Republic, these elaborate ceremonial 
costumes have been abolished for plainer dress, and there is no 
longer any local demand for them. 

Lacquer. — The Chinese very early learned the uses of 
products of the lac tree which is cultivated throughout central 
and southern China. From it centuries ago they made 
wonderful pieces of lacquer ware which are not excelled by 
the present products of Japan. The :>ap of the lac tree is 



92 HANDBOOK POR CBINA 

drawn when the tree reaches an age of seven years, being 
collected in middle and late summer for the use of the lacquer 
makers. The wood to be lacquered is carefully polished and 
covered with thin paper or fine silk. Over this is placed a 
layer of lac covered with a mixture, often of emery powder, 
red sandstone and vermillion, though other mixtures are made 
up of different materials. The piece is then dried and the 
whole process repeated from three to eighteen times. When 
pieces are to bear a design, it is drawn on heavy paper and 
then marked with fine pricks. The design is transferred 
to the piece by powdered chalk, and drawn with a needle. 
Carved lacquer is very expensive and is seldom produced 
now. In its manufacture, a dark paste, in which powdered 
egg shells have been mixed, is applied to the wood and allow- 
ed to dry. The piece is then carved and several coats of lac 
applied. 

The whole process of lacquer making is tedious and re- 
quires a long time. Foreigners have been unwilling to give 
the Chinese workmen enough time to complete pieces ordered 
and as a result inferior methods of manufacture have become 
prevalent. The work is done in dust-proof rooms, and not 
without a good deal of physical suffering, as the raw lac is 
very irritating to the skin, and will cause small boils. The 
oldest specimens of lacquer ware in the shops belong to the 
Ming dynasty. The finest present-day products come from 
Ningpo and Foochow though Canton produces large quanti- 
ties for export. 



THE GOVERNMENT OF CHINA 




General 

Li Yuan Hung 

Former President 



Y an Imperial Edict, following a success- 
ful ajiti-dynastic revolution, the Man- 
chus abdicated from the throne of China 
and acquiesced in the establishment of a 
Republican form of government. The 
Abdication Edict was dated February 
12, 1912, and at the time this is written 
it is too early to discuss the Republican 
government which, in administrative 
methods has made few radical de- 
. partures. The system of government 
which it replaced had existed unchanged 
for several thousand years, for although 
the Chinese have often rebelled against 
tyrannical rule, they were quite content, 
until recently, with the form of govern- 
ment to which they were accustomed. Much of the old 
system will doubtless survive, tempered by a constitution, 
elected legislative bodies, and a new sense of individual 
political rights. Since the establishment of the Republic 
radical local reforms have taken place; and there have been 
administrative changes in Peking but the machinery of 
government remains much the same as it was under Manchu 
rule. What follows is a description of the foundation on 
which the Republican government of China may be built. 
With the constant changes of this transition period, it would 
be folly to attempt anything else. 

Theoretically the government of China was an absolute 
monarchy, strengthened by the fiction that the Emperor was 
the *'Son of Heaven," who offered sacrifices direct to the 
divine powers, leaving his subjects to follow any religion they 
liked so long as their worship included the worship of himself. 
This fiction had behind it many centuries of Chinese custom 
and tradition. 



94 HANDBOOK ]?0R CHINA 

In theory only, the Emperor was supreme, held the pov/er 
of life and death over his subjects, could regulate their lives 
down to the humblest detail, was not amenable to any earthly 
authority and from his decisions there was no appeal. Though 
surrounded by boards of councillors and advisors, it was not 
necessary for him to follow their advice, or even to pretend 
to do so. His rule was by divine right and he was subject 
only to the displeasure of heaven, manifested by floods and 
famine when his rule had been unwise, or by rebellions when 
it had been tyrannical. 

The ancient Chinese system of government was a curiou* 
growth from clan rule. The unit of government was the 
village, which usually consisted of a single hamlet with its 
surrounding farm land, although in the larger cities several 
villages might be included within the walls. The chief officer 
of the village was the Tipao or village head-man, who was 
selected by the villagers and then received official recognition 
or sometimes the practice was reversed and he was nominated 
by the magistrate and confirmed by the villagers. He was 
the representative of his fellow villagers in all official capacities 
and in ordinary times was the only official with whom they 
came in contact. He attended to the registry of deeds and 
the collection of taxes and was responsible for the enforce- 
ment of law and acted as con.^^table and coroner. 

This democratic form of selecting officials ended, how- 
ever, with the Tipao 2Lnd all others in the Empire received 
their appointment and their power direct from Peking. Leav- 
ing out of consideration the numerous boards and councils 
which surrounded the Emperor, the chief administrative official 
under him was the Viceroy, appointecj as Governor General 
over one or more provinces, each of which may or may not 
have had its own Governor. Among Chinese the Governor 
was known as Inspector, a name which survived his former 
status, when he made periodic visits to the provinces to see 
that the provincial officials were properly attending to their 
duties. Later he became a permanent resident and enjoyed 
supreme authority in his own province, but subject to the 
check of the Viceroy and the Tartar General, the latter persoi? 



mK GOVERNMENT OF CHINA 95 

having co.iimand of the Manchu garrisons in the various prov- 
inces.. Other provincial officials were the Treasurer, Judge, 
and Commissioner of Education, the latter being a recent 
addition to the list. 

Within the province, the unit of governmental administra- 
tiori was the county or district which might contain a score 
of villages in addition to the county seat. A few dis- 
tricts formed a prefecture, while two or more prefectures 
formed a circuit, under the jurisdiction of a Taotai, The 
Taotai was an assistant to the Governor, having charge of 
military operations within his own circuit. The Prefect was 
a means of communication between the lower officials and his 
superiors, rarely exercising any executive powers, but acting 
as a court of appeal from the District Magistrates, when the 
resources of the litigants enabled them to enjoy the luxury of 
an appeal. The District Magistrate was the lowest in rank 
of all of those appointed by Peking and the representative 
of the throne who came in closest contact with the people. 

It would be very difficult to find, in any other govern- 
ment, officials whose duties corresponded to those of any 
Chinese official of the old order. In theory he was able to 
undertake any task, no matter how techit'cal. If troops were 
to be provided, tribute paid, dikes to be built, and, in later 
days, railways projected, the Viceroys and Governors were 
ordered to perform the various tasks, the government at Peking 
rarely going any further in its commands than to demand that 
certain results be accomplished, leaving the manner of accom- 
plishment entirely to the discretion of the official who received 
the Imperial Edict. In practice, each official shifted the -task 
always to his immediate inferior and in this constant shifting 
of work, most of it finally reached the District Magistrate, 
who was last on the list and had to satisfy his superiors that 
the work had been done. The source of power, the gradations 
of rank and the shifting of tasks, were usually indicated in the 
proclamations of the District Magistrate, a typical one begin- 
ning: 

"The Magistrate has had the hoftor to receive instructions, 
irom the Prefect, who cites the directions of the Taotai, moved 



96 HANDBOOK FOR CHINA 

by the Treasurer and the Judge, recipients of commands 
of their excellencies the Viceroy and the Governor, acting at 
the instance of the Foreign Board, who have been honored 
with His Majesty's commands/' Then follows the command 
and the signature of the Magistrate who indicates again the 
sources of the command which in theory came from the 
Emperor, although it might concern nothing more important 
than the abolishment of a tax-collecting office or the promotion 
of an official. 

Within his own district the Magistrate or Mayor was the 
supreme official. He tried all cases, was judge, jury and 
executioner, jailer, coroner, famine commissioner, tax collector, 
road and bridge superintendent, treasurer, commissioner of 
education_, and chief of police, and assumed all the duties usual- 
ly attended to by the officials found in a county or town of 
another country. The annual salary of this busy official 
amounted to $120 to $360 with an allowance of a larger sum 
granted '*for the encouragement of integrity among officials/^ 
But the salary was no indication of the emoluments of the 
office, which might be and often were a thousand times the 
amount. He was equipped with a large number of subord- 
inates, yamen runners, messengers, jailers, clerks, and tax 
collectors, for all of whom he must provide and all of whom 
must, to the extent of the opportunities offered by their dele- 
gated powers, provide for him.* 

Although possessor of supreme auth^^rity in his territory,, 
the Magistrate was careful in all of his official functions not to 
offend public opinion or to presume too much on his power. 
His one aim was to serve his three years' term of office with no 
disturbances in his district which would attract the attention 
of his superiors. The people always knew very effective 
methods of embarrassing a too-officious Magistrate. When the 
tax collectors made unusually heavy demands, the people in 
the country rioted and set fire to the official yamen. In the 
cities the guilds declared a cessation of trade, which is a strike, 

*For an interesting and instructive account of the functions of m 
Chinese official, see *Xetters from a Chinese Official** a pamphlet pub- 
lished by the Peking and Tientsin Times. 



THE GOVERNMENT OF CHINA 91 

lockout and boycott combined, thereby effectively cutting of! 
all the incidental revenue of the officials and soon attracting 
attention from the superiors of the Magistrate. In extreme 
cases they seized the Magistrate, bound him and carried him 
to the Governor's or the Taotais yamen with the announce- 
ment that they would have no more to do with him. These 
small rebellions against misused authority have been going on 
constantly in China for centuries and formed a very effective 
means of counterbalancing the despotic power of Peking, no 
matter what the dynasty. 

In- the old days ofl&cial advancement was obtained by 
literary ability only, and the Prefect with his other duties was 
charged with conducting the examinations in his prefecture. 
Success at these examinations carried with it only the privilege 
of taking part in the Provincial examinations. These examina- 
tions were usually attended by from 10,000 to 12,000 students, 
out of whom only a few hundred would pass. The successful 
ones, again^ were entitled to compete in the great Metropolitan 
Examination at Peking. Out of 6000 competitors at this 
examination, probably 3000 would be successful and the names 
of these were placed on a list from, which all official appoint- 
ments were made, except those awarded to sons of old and 
faithful public servants and to students who had failed to pass 
the examinations but had made frequent attempts. Chinese 
literature is full of stories of students who grew old and grey 
in their attempts to pass the examinations, finally succeeded, 
and died enjoying the dignity and wealth of official life. 

During the last century of Manchu rule this ancient civil 
service fell into disuse and in its place was substituted a rather 
open system of selling official positions. Under the later 
years of the Manchus this S)''Stem was highly developed and 
practically every official, before receiving his appointment, 
was squeezed of enormous sums, only a small part of which 
ever found its way into the government treasury. Secret as 
these transactions presumably were, residents of China 
generally knew the sums paid fo^ various offices. For instance, 
a cabinet position was supposed to cost about 200,000 taels, 
and the lucrative post of Taotai of Shanghai was worth 



98 HANDBOOK ^OR CHINA 

100,000 taels for each year the incumbent held office. In addi- 
tion to these lump sums, the prospective official was compelled 
to oil his way to those in power by liberal gifts to all the 
hangers-on of the big yamens, and to the eunuchs in the 
Forbidden City. 

This purchase price of the office was axi investment which 
the office holder soon regained by similar deals for official 
positions included in his patronage, and it was customary for 
the relatives and friends of an aspiring young man to finance 
him for the purchase of an office, confident that he would 
soon be able to repay the amount invested. 

With the offices purchased outright, the incumbent 
named for only three years, and with practically no supervi- 
sion from Peking, it was natural that bribery and extortion 
should develop in all official dealings. The Viceroys and 
the Governors bought their offices at high prices from the 
Manchus and high Chinese officials and they naturally ex- 
pected to regain the price paid and a good profit during their 
term of office, and also to recoup themselves for the frequent 
presents it was necessary to give the authorities in Peking in 
order to make their official lives endurable. The same system 
extended throughout the official line to the District Magistrate 
who was always careful to employ good tax collectors, but 
paid little attention to the repair of roads or bridges in a 
district which would be his home for only a short time, and 
imder circumstances which made everything spent on repairs 
reduce his private income. 

The transportation of tribute rice offered a good example 
of the means whereby Chinese officials regained the amount 
paid for their appointments. This tribute ?ice, coming from 
the southern and Yangtsze Valley provinces, was formerly 
shipped by the Grand Canal, each provincial governor 
through whose territory the shipments passed securing certain 
sums for the expense of transportation. In addition to this, 
each governor was charged with the maintenance of the canal 
and for this was given a specified allowance. Finally, with 
the partial filling up of the canal and the establishment of 
coast steamship lines, it became much cheaper to transport 



THE GOVERNMENT OF CHINA 99 

the rice in the steamships than in the canal barges. Practi- 
cally all of the shipments were made in this way in recent 
years, but in theory the rice was still hauled over the Grand 
Canal and for this purpose a fleet of imaginary barges was 
maintained at great official expense. At frequent intervals 
this fleet was destroyed by a storm and was theoretically re- 
built, all of which added to the income of a large body of 
enterprising and poorly paid officials. • 

The deterioration of official life in China extended to all 
classes during the latter part of the Manchu rule. The sale 
of an appointment to one high official soon spread the cor- 
ruption through all the lower ranks of officialdom, through 
bis efforts to recoup himself, and at the beginning of the 
present century the term "Chinese official" was a synonym 
for inefficiency, corruption and tyranny. The respect ac- 
corded the average official was measured chiefly by the fear 
he inspired and when one, by his tolerance, public spirit and 
comparative honesty, gained the good will of those over 
whom he ruled, his name was linked v^^ith the names of the 
local heroes. 

With the overthrow of the Manchu regime in 191 1 China 
became a Republic, although authorities disagree as to whether 
or not it is a Republic in name only. Among the forces uhich 
overthrew the monarchy there were rival factions while not 
a few of the monarchical adherents, by a quick change of 
front, managed to ride in on the popular tide of republicanism. 
As a result the republican administration has been beset 
by factional difficulties which have made the organization of 
a permanent and stable government impossib;r Owing to 
these difficulties no permanent constitution has been adopted, 
the government being carried on under the provisions of the 
hastily adopted provisional constitution of 1912. In actual 
practice this constitution is disregarded. The adoption of a 
more permanent constitution has been retarded by the fact 
that during most of the time since the establishment of the 
Republic, two parliaments have been in session, one in Peking 
and one in Canton, each of these bodies denying the legal 
existence of the other. 



100 HANDBOOK FOR CHINA 

With the country divided into two factions the natural 
result has been the weakening of the central government and 
the strengthening of the provincial governments. The civil 
governor of the Manchu regime remains while the Tartar 
General has been replaced by the Tuchun, or military governor. 
Each of the military governors is in command of a body of 
troops which he governs and on whose strength he relies as 
a means of securing. money from the central government. 
While these weaknesses of administration are recognized and 
deplored by all who know China, there have been actual 
benefits from the change in form of government, these being 
seen in the increased sense of nationalism and patriotism on 
the part of all classes of Chinese. 

Since the overthrow of the Manchus there have been two 
abortive attempts to restore a monarchical form of govern- 
ment, one by Yuan Shih Kai who sought to found an imperial 
line, and after his death, an attempt on the part of the 
reactionary Chang Hsun to restore the Manchu line. On 
both these occasions the opposition of the Chinese people was 
so determined and outspoken as to indicate that the old form 
of government is gone forever and that the political future 
of China will be worked out along modern and Western lines 
rather than the old and Oriental. This does not involve such 
radical changes as one might think for the Chinese people 
have for many centuries of their long history enjoyed a form 
of local self-government more liberal, perhaps, than that 
afforded in any other country. According to the theory of at 
least one school of political economy the Chinese government 
was the best because the individual Chinese subject was 
amenable to fewer laws and had less taxes to pay than the 
citizen or subject of any other civilized country. 

That the change from the monarchical to the Republican 
form of government should be marked by a decade or so of 
confusion and dissension should not be surprising to any one 
who is familiar with the history of dynastic or political 
changes in other countries, where decades must pass before 
the people adapt themselves to and accept the new form of 
government. Is it any wonder that the most populous country 



THE GOVERNMENT OF CHINA 101 

in the world, — the oldest monarchy — should be slow about 
realizing in practical form the change in government they 
have undertaken? 

At the time this is written, China is preparing to celebrate 
the ninth anniversary of the establishment of the republic. 
All of the ten years have been beset with difficulties and most 
of them made memorable by rebellions. As the anniversary 
approaches China is divided between north and south and each 
section is ruled by a group of military dictators who govern 
by reason of their control of soldiery rather than because of 
the popular will. An academic study of the republican 
government as compared with the monarchical might find little 
cause for congratulation at the change; but one who has 
followed the changes in the national consciousness of the 
ordinary Chinese citizen rather than the changes in the official 
roster; who has counted the improved streets in the provincial 
cities instead of following the partisan debates of the pow-er- 
less parliaments in Canton and Peking; who has noted the 
great increase in cottoi. and flour mills, newspapers, books, 
schools, and other symbols and mediums of modern civiliza- 
tion, cannot doubt that China by her change in form of 
government has definitely thrown off the old hampering 
traditions and is preparing to take in affairs of the world the 
position to which she is entitled by reason of her history, her 
enormous area and resources and her great population. 



SHANGHAI 




(And the Yangtsze Valley.), 



eneral Information. — Distance from Lon- 
don by sea, ii,ooo miles; from San 
Francisco, 5000 miles; from Hongkong, 
850 miles. Local time 8 hours in advance 
of Greenwich. Shanghai lies, in 31^ 14* 
N. latitude and 120^ 29' E. longitude 
being on the same parallel as Cairo and 
New Orleans. 

Population * foreigners, about 25,000 : 
Chinese, about 2,000,000. These popula- 
tion figures include all adjoining 
municipalities and villages. 

Arrival: Some steamers anchor at 
Woosung, 13 miles distant, from which 
r 1 -n J place passengers are conveyed to the 

loongwha Pagoda, i,,,^^^^^ jetty on the Bund' by steam 
Shanghai tender. There is no landing charge. 

Other steamers tie up at docks within easy distance of principal 
hotels. Steamers arriving from Hankow or other Yangtsze 
River ports tie up at the Bund. Passengers from the North 
by train arrive at the station of the Shanghai-Nanking Rail- 
way. Representatives of all hotels meet the steamer or ten- 
der and take charge of baggage. Principal hotels are within 
a short distance of the jetty and may be reached by ricsha. 

Hotels: Astor House, Palace, Kalee, Burlington, Hotel 
des Colonies, Bickerton^s. All hotels are on the American 
plan. Restaurants: Carlton, Parisien, Trocadero, Astor 
Grill. The Great Eastern, Yih Ping Shang and Oriental Hotels, 
under Chinese ownership and management, serve foreign 
style meals and are patronized by some foreign travelers. 

Consulates: Belgium, Brazil, Denmark, France, Great 
Britain, Italy, Japan, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Russia, 
Spain, Sv/eden, United States. .;>; 

PosTo^]?icEs : In addition to the Chinese postomce, others 
are located in Shanghai for the benefit of their respective 
nationals, the rates of postage through the various foreiga 



oad 



L 




PLAN OF TH E 
FOREIGN SETTLEMENTS 

DRAWN FOR CROWS "HANDBOOK FOR CHINA" 



SHANGHAI 103 



offices to the countries they represent being about the usual 
domestic rate. The postoffices are located as fellows : — 
American, 9 Whangpoo Road; British, 7 Peking Road: 
French, 4S Rue Moutauban : Japanese, la Seward Road/ 
Russian, N. Soochow Road ; Chinese, 9 Peking Road. 

Telegrams and Cables : Offices of foreign cable companies 
are located in the block between Canton and Foochow Roads, 
on the Bund, the office of the Chinese Telegraphs being just 
in the rear. Cable rates are based on gold quotations and the 
rate in local currency is changed each quarter in accordance 
with exchange fluctuations. 

Railways: Shanghai-Nanking Railway, from Shanghai to 
Nanking, 193 miles, connecting by steam launch across the 
Yangtsze with the Tientsin-Pukow line ; Shanghai-Hangchow- 
Ningpo Railway, from Shanghai to Hangchow, 125 miles. The 
latter line will eventually be extended to Ningpo. 

Foreign Churches: Holy Trinity Cathedral, Union 
Church. St. Andrew^s Church, Free Christian Church, Church 
of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, St. Joseph's Deutsche Evangeli- 
sche Kirche, Japanese Union Church, Orthodox Greek Church. 

Transportation: Carriage hire, per hour $1 ; half day or 
evening, $3; full day, $5. Ricshas, half hour, 20 cts. ; hour 
40 cts. ; half day, 80 cts. ; whole day, $1.40. Motor cars, $2 to $4 
per hour. Tramways, average fare 6 cts. per mile. 

Newspapers : Daily English : North China Daily News,. 
China Press, Mercury, Times, Gazette ; French : L'Echo de 
Chine; English weeklies, Millard's Review, Finance & 
Commerce. Many daily Chinese papers are published in 
Shanghai, in addition to many weekly and monthly publications. 

Steamer Routes : Shanghai is a port of call for nearly all 
the Trans- Pacific and European steamship lines as well as the 
steamers which run from Japanese to Australian ports. At 
the time this edition goes to press, all shipping in the Far East 
is undergoing a post war period of re-adjustment, with so many 
changes in service and rates that any information given here 
would be out of date before the book is published. It will be 
sufficient to say that Shanghai is the most centrally located of 
all the Far Eastern ports and frequent sailings can be had to 
all points on the China Coast, to Japan, the Philippines or 
other countries of Eastern Asia. 

Currency : The old standard currency of Shanghai was the 
Mexican dollar but of recent years Chinese dollars of the same 
value have come into general circulation. The small coins, 
ten and twenty cent pieces and coppers, are always depreciated 
and the dollar is usually exchanged for about no cents. 
Local banks issue bank notes pa3^able in Mexican or loral 



104 HANDBOOK FOR CHINA 



currency. Local money exchange shops are h'censed and 
strictly regulated by the Municipal Council. 
Trade of Shanghai : 
The foreign trade of Shanghai in the past two years was: 

i9i8 1919 

Net Foreign Imports 65,000,000 84,000 000 

Net Chinese Imports 38,000,000 34,000,000 

Exports 102,000,000 121,000,000 

Total, Hk. Taels 208,000,000 240,000,000 

Shanghai, the commercial metropolis of the China Coast, 
is one of the most interesting and cosmopolitan places in the 
world, and the most important of the treaty ports. It is a 
peculiar mixture of East and West, the dominating business 
elements being western, while the greater part of the popula- 
tion is Oriental. The street scenes are particularly full of 
color, for one can see here almost every national costume. 
Chinese, of course, make up the bulk of the population, but the 
Chinese inhabitants themselves are greatly mixed, coming from 
nearly every province in the country. Japanese contribute a 
large part of the alien population and bring with them their 
distinctive dress. In the Hongkew section are to be found 
extensive Japanese settlements, with many shops which deal in 
nothing bat Japanese goods. Alongside them will be found 
shops which deal exclusively in Indian goods, besides, Russian, 
British, French and American shops which cater for their 
particular nationalities. Every nation in Europe is represented 
here; in fact there is scarcely a nation in the world which has 
not helped to make up the cosmopolitan community. Malays, 
Parsees, Sikhs, Japanese, Koreans, Annamese, Brahmins, 
Hindus, Singalese, Persians, Turks and Javanese are to be 
•seen on the streets daily. 

The native city, which gives its name to the now important 
port of Shanghai, is not one of very great importance, either 
commercially or historically. It was a small rival of the 
greater cities of Soochow and Hangchow, before the coming 
of foreigners started it on the way to becoming one of the 
:great ports of China. When the Treaty of Nanking v/as signed 
(1843) between China and Great Britain, Shanghai was included 
as the most northern of the five ports to be made open to foreign 



SHANGHAI 105 

residence and trade. It is no longer considered to be a part of 
North China but the earlier geographical division is perpetuated 
in the name of the oldest local newspaper, the North China 
Daily News. Until opened to foreign trade it had been nothing 
more than a port of call for seagoing junks. The settlement 
was formally opened on November 17, 1843, and at first grew 
very slowlj'. At the end of the first year as an open port, 
Shanghai had but 23 foreign residences, one consular flag, 
II business firms and two Protestant missionaries. 

The site which had been selected for a British Settlement 
was little more than a reed-covered marsh, intersected by 
many small canals, and what is now the famous and handsome 
street called the Bund was then only a path used by the boat 
trackers. The settlement limits were marked by what are now 
Peking Road, Avenue Edward VII, Honan Road and the Bund. 
One of the first tasks of foreign residents was to make this 
place habitable. How well that work has been accomplished 
only the visitor to Shanghai can appreciate. Six years after 
the British Settlement was marked out, the Chinese govern- 
ment gave territory to France for a settlement between the 
Chinese city and the British Concession. In the late 
fifties Americans leased ground on the north of the British 
Settlement though the so-called American settlement was 
never formally taken over by the American Government 
and in 1863 the British and American Settlements were 
combined as the International Settlement, while the French 
remains distinct. Thus there are three separate municipalities 
in Shanghai: the Chinese City, the French Settlement and the 
International Settlement. ^ In addition there are several 
Chinese municipalities which border on the foreign settlements. 

The most important section is the International Settlement 
which is governed by a Municipal Council. The Council is 
elected by the European, Japanese and American taxpayers of 
the settlement, and serves without pay. Under its long and 
honorable administration, streets have been improved, the 
town made healthful, parks and gardens acquired, until 
Shanghai has come to be known as ''The Model Settlement." 
Its modern buildings, clean, paved streets, and air of business 



106 HANDBOOK FOR CHINA 

iactivity usually surprise the visitor who expects to find a 
Chinese city rather than one which has the air of an l^uropeah 
metropolis. The city is built on the banks of the Whangpob, a 
river which flows into the Yangtsze near the sea. All the 
surrounding country is a level plain, which because of its 
fertility is the garden spot of China. The great productiveness 
of the country as well as the commanding position of Shanghai 
in the trade of the Yangtsze Valley have combined to make 
it one of the most important business centers of the Far East. 
Its trade territory embraces a population of about 200,000,000^ 
or half the population of China. 

The visitor coming up the Whangpoo on a steam tender 
sees but little that suggests the Orient. The river is crowded 
with shipping, the waters dotted with large and small steamers^ 
tugs, lighters and sampans. The smoke stacks of many 
factories stand out in a skyline which recalls memories of 
Europe or America. On the shore there are huge ship building 
plants, warehouses, cotton mills, silk filatures, oil tanks^ docks 
and a busy line of railway, the branch of the Shanghai-Nan- 
king line from Shanghai to Woosung. The line from Shanghai 
to Woosung was the first railway to be constructed in China, 
it being built from Shanghai to Kiangwan by a British firm in 
1876. For a short time the road was run successfully, but soon 
native opposition developed, which grew to such serious 
proportions that the Chinese government bought the line. The 
rails and rolling stock were shipped to Formosa and dumped 
on the beach to disappear in rust. The present line was built 
many j^ears later. 

The traveler who arrives on a trans-Pacific steamer is 
landed on the Bund, the principal street, which marks the 
water front of the city. It is shaded and inviting and behind 
the trees are the proud buildings of the city's principal banks 
and business houses. The strange mixture which makes up 
Shanghai is well illustrated by the medley of vehicles which 
crowd the Bund at all times. They include tramcars, car- 
riages, motor cars, ricshas, sedan-chairs and wheelbarrows, 
all contending for the right of way. 

The Northern end of the Bund is marked by the Garden 



SHANGHAI 107* 

Bridge which spans Soochow creek. It may be interesting to 
the newcomer to know that the slope over this bridge is the 
steepest to be found on any Shanghai road and that motor 
cars which can negotiate it have achieved the most gruelling 
hill climbing test Shanghai can offer. The river life as seen 
from the bridge is always interesting. Soochow Creek is^ 
usually crowded with lighters for much of the cargo discharged 
at Woosung is brought up this creek for storage in warehouses 
along Soochow Road. Near the bridge are anchored the 
many houseboats owned by Shanghai residents. 

The public garden on the Bund at the junction of Soochow 
creek and the Whangpoo is largely made ground. A small 
vessel was wrecked near the present band stand and mud 
collected round it. The muddy marsh, formerly a part of the- 
grounds of the British Consulate, was ceded to the settlement 
by the British Foreign office and the present handsome garden 
was built. In the garden and on the Bund lawn are a number 
of. monuments. Just inside the souhwest gate of the garden 
is a monument to the foreign officers of the ''Ever- Victorious 
Army" who fell in attacks against the Taiping rebels. At the 
termination of Nanking road is a statue of Sir Harry Parkes, 
British Minister to China, 1882-5. Before going to Peking as- 
British Minister he had served as British Consul at Canton,, 
Amoy and Shanghai and Minister to Japan and Korea. Near 
by is a statue of Sir Robert Hart, who was for so many 
years Inspector-General of the Chinese customs and to whom, 
much of the credit for organising that efficient service is due. 

The finest business buildings in Shanghai are located on^ 
the Bund. At the time this is written many of the older 
buildings are being replaced by more modern structures and 
it is possible that in a few years the entire Bund frontage 
will be filled with six-storey buildings, the maximum size 
allowable because of Shanghai's mud foundation. In the early 
days of the settlement all the business houses were located on 
this street. Land was cheap then and these pioneer concerns 
provided themselves with liberal sites. With few exceptions, 
these concerns have kept their original locations, so that here 
as elsewhere on the China coast a Bund address has come to 



108 HANDBOOK FOR CHINA 

•signify age and stability. Among the notable buildings are 
those of Jardine, Matheson & Co ; Chartered Bank, Hongkong 
& vShanghai Bank, Customs House, North China Daily News, 
Palace Hotel and Russo-Asiatic Bank. The British Consulate 
occupies a large area near the bridge. At the junction of the 
Bund and Jinkee Road is a striking building of German 
architecture, formerly the German Club. Near the junc- 
tion with Avenue Edward VH, the street which separates 
the International from the French Settlement, is the Shanghai 
Club, the oldest and most important organisation of its kind 
in the city and famous for the possession of w^hat is reputed 
to be the longest bar in the world, no feet. 

Second in importance and in interest to the Bund is 
Nanking Road, the location of the large foreign and Chinese 
^hops, the retail shopping street of the city. A few years ago 
it was, except for a few blocks near the Bund, composed 
almost entirely of two-storey native shops. Now many of 
these have been replaced by what has aptly been described as 
buildings of the ''compradoresque*' style of architecture, many 
of them gorgeously colored with gold leaf. But the most 
striking buildings on the road aretwogreat Chinese department 
stores occupying opposite sides of the street at the Chekiang 
Road crossing. Each store is under Chinese management 
and each, in addition to its merchandise, maintains a modern 
hotel^ roof garden, restaurant, etc. A little farther on, at the 
junction with Thibet Road (formerly Defence Creek) is 
another pair of semi- foreign twin buildings, the ''New World.'* 
These are modern Chinese amusement palaces and each is 
equipped with arcades, skating rinks, menagerie, cinem.as 
restaurants and a thousand and one devices which enable 
one to while away an evening. .. The two places are connected 
by a subway under Nanking Road so that for one admission 
ticket visits may be paid to both places. The construction of 
these places of amusement and other improvements on Nan- 
king Road have seemed to rob P'oochow Road of its former 
position as 'The Great White Way" of Shanghai, for the 
famous old restaurants of that street have not been able to 
liold their own against these modern innovations. But Foo- 



SHANGHAI 10^ 

chow Road is still worth visiting especially at night when it is 
ablaze with electric lights. 

Thibet Road marks the end of Nanking Road, for from 
that point on it is known as Bubbling Well Road, formerly 
the premier residence street of the city and. still the most 
famous street in the Far East. At the beginning of Bubbling 
Well Road, only one mile from the Bund, is the Race course. 
The presence of this fine race track and recreation ground 
in what is now the heart of the city is a striking evidence of 
the rapid growth of the place, for in the sixties when this 
magnificent piece of land was acquired, it was on the outskirts. 
Here the semi-annual race meets are held in the spring and 
autumn and the city maintains an old custom of its early 
days by taking a half holiday on race days. 

No visit to Shanghai would be complete without a drive 
through the residential portions of the city. Formerly the: 
fine residences were grouped about Bubbling Well Road but 
now there are many streets able to compete with that older 
thoroughfare. The French Settlement in recent years has 
become the residential center for the rapidly growing 
American colony while many pretentious mansions of many 
nationalities are found on Avenue Joffre. Nor should anyone 
fail to drive around the Rubicon Road, the one country motor 
road the city possesses. From any hotel the round trip can 
be made in an hour without breaking the speed regulations. 
The road takes one out of sight and sound of the city and 
affords an excellent opportunity to see the Chinese country 
side. 

To list the parks, clubs, public buildings, etc, of Shanghai, 
would be as tedious a task as to list similar things in any big 
city of Europe and America. But, after all, Shanghai is a 
foreign rather than a Chinese city. In spite of the great bulk 
of Chinese population, its instututions are foreign and the 
Chinese residents are more or less under foreign influence. 
Anyone who studies China from the point of view of Shanghai 
is sure to carry away wrong impressions. Because of the 
size of the place and the importance of the local foreign 
communities, Shanghai is, to most Shanghai residents, suffi* 



110 HANDBOOK FOR CHINA 

cient unto itself. If one wants to see Chinese life, or study 
things Chinese, he must go elsewhere. 

Shanghai is essentially a commercial city, as is evident 
to the visitor as soon as he arrives. The stretch of ttfe 
Whangpoo from Woosung to the Bund is always the 
anchorage for dozens of ocean going steamers while on both 
•sides of the river are factories and warehouses. The Bund 
foreshore is usually crowded with boxes and bales which 
hundreds of coolies are transporting by means of bamboo 
poles on their shoulders, keeping step to the sounds of shrill 
cries which are repeated so persistently that a newcomer 
often thinks a riot is in progress. In recent years imports 
and exports have been rather evenly balanced, each running 
to about Tls. 200,000,000 annually. The Customs revenue is 
more than three times that of any other port and about one 
fourth the total for all of China. The principal imports are 
cotton cloth, iron and steel and kerosene, while the most 
important exports are silk, skins, wood oil, etc. While 
Shanghai is the commercial center of China it has also, of 
recent years, grown in importance in manufacturing. There 
are now about thirty cotton spinning and weaving works, and 
in addition many soap, match and cigarette factories and paper 
mills. One of the most notable successes in the manufactur- 
ing line is the plant put up by the General Electric Co. of New 
York for the manufacture of electric light bulbs. Here in a 
very short time inexperienced Chinese labor has been trained 
to turn out an article equal to that produced in America or 
Europe. There seems little doubt but that the city will make 
remarkable development in manufacturing in the next decade. 
This development is being fostered by the municipality which, 
through the municipal electric plant, affords a cheap supply of 
electric power to the factories. 

Shanghai is also the publishing center of China. The largest 
and most important of Chinese newspapers are published here, 
One of them, the Shun Pao, occupies a structure which would 
•do credit to any Western city. Here are located the large 
mission publishing houses and the headquarters of the Bible 
•societies which each year sell hundreds of thousands of Bibles 



SHANGHAI 111 

printed in the vernacular. Among the purely Chinese 
enterprises worthy of note is the Commercial Press, a large 
printing and publishing establishment employing about 2000 
skilled Chinese workers. This and other concerns turn out a 
constant stream of Chinese books, pamphlets and magazines, 
many of them consisting of translations of foreign books. A 
visit to the plant of the Commercial Press will be found 
full of interest. 

Until very recently the Chinese city remained unchanged 
by the proximity of the foreign settlement and up to the time 
of the establishment of the Republic was still surrounded by 
walls which were first put up in the 14th century and repaired 
and replaced many times since then. With the establishment 
of the Republic, the Chinese officials have shown more energy 
in cleaning up the streets though much remains to be done. 
It is typical of Chinese cities, being filled with small shops, 
where all kinds of curios and Chinese goods can be purchased. 
Near the center of the city, in a small artificial lake, and 
reached by the zigzag bridges so common in China is a famous 
tea-house, often pointed out as the original of the tea house 
pictured in the famous willow pattern porcelain. This is a 
mistake for the story of the willow pattern plate is older than 
this tea house and in China there are many tea houses of this 
type. There is nothing of interest to be seen in the building, 
but from the top a comprehensive view of the tiled roofs of the 
city may be obtained. The city contains several temples and 
gardens and other places worth visiting. One of the most 
interesting points is the section given Over to bird dealers, 
well patronized by the Chinese. Nearby is a tea house, 
where the patrons bring their feathered pets and listen to 
their songs while they drink tea. Guides, not more than 
usually avaricious or untruthful, are always to be found 
loitering about the approaches but more trustworthy ones may 
be secured from the hotel or Cook's. The stranger will 
certainly be lost, as in other Chinese cities, if he ventures into 
the city alone. 

The finest native shops are to be found in the International 
Settlement. The best Chinese jewelry is to be found on 



112 HANBOOK FOR CHINA 

Nanking Road, although the smaller places on side streets ask 
much lower prices. Those in search of silks and furs should 
go to Honan Road, where they will find the largest shops and 
the best variety. At these places usually only one price is 
asked. Curio shops are to be found all over the city and 
Shanghai, next to Peking, offers the richest stocks of curios to 
he found in the country. One of the finest stocks of Chinese 
curios is carried by Li Van Chen at 35 Rue Eugene Bard. 

One of the most interesting curio centers is in the native 
city, near the Willow Pattern tea-house. Here the small 
dealers spread their wares on the tables of a tea house and 
await customers, meanwhile trading among themselves. 

Siccawei Road leads to the settlement of that name 
established by the French Jesuits in 1847. The name of the 
place (literally Zi-Kai-Wei) means "Homestead of the Zi 
Family,'* recalling the famous Z\ Kwang-chi, a cabinet minister 
of the i6th century who became a convert of Matteo Ricci and 
was a valuable ally of the early Christian missionaries. The 
Zi family have been Christians for more than 300 years. The 
settlement consists of a number of interesting buildings^ 
in which useful missionary work is carried on. One of the 
principal groups of buildings is given over to a convent, where 
Chinese girls are taught embroidery and lace making, many of 
them being given to the convent by parents too poor to care for 
them. The inmates number several thousand. A short 
distance away is the furniture and brass shop, maintained in a 
similar style for Chinese boys. The most popular production 
of the shop is beautiful carved teakwood furniture.' One of 
the most complete meteorological observatories in the v/orld 
is maintained here by the Jesuits. Its service covers all of the 
coast of China, weather predictions being sent out twice daily 
and typhoon warnings sent to all the ports in the Far East. 
This service, as complete as the government weather service in 
other countries, saves many , lives and thousands of dollars 
worth of shipping annually, and is maintained entirely at the 
expense of the Jesuits. 

Shanghai is an important center for missionary work and 
administration and i? the business headquarters of many 



SHANGHAI 113 

missionary enterprises. A number oi societies are working in 
Shanghai and the missionary and allied population amounts 
to several hundred. The head office of the China Inland 
Mission, and head office for China of the American Bible 
Society are here, as well as the headquarters of the Christian 
Literature Society and several other similar organisations. 
Large publishing establishments are maintained by the Ameri- 
-can Methodist Episcopal Mission and the American Presby- 
terian Mission. St. John's University, one of the heading 
schools of China, whose graduates occupy high positions, was 
established by the American Episcopal Mission and occupies 
beautiful grounds on the outskirts of the town. Among ihe 
other notable enterprises are St. Luke's Hospital and St. Elrza- 
beth's Hospital for women (American Episcopal Mission) 
London Mission Hospital, the Margaret Williamson Hospital 
for Women (Women's Union Mission), Mctyeire High school 
for Chinese Girls (Methodist Episcopal Mission, South) and 
the Door of Hope Rescue Home and industrial schools. A large 
number of smaller schools, chapels, orphanages, etc. are to be 
found in all parts of the native city and the two settlements. 
In addition to the schools maintained by the municipality for 
Chinese and foreign children, there are a great many public, 
private and semi-private schools, including the French school, 
Jewish school, American school, Japanese school, etc. 

One will find in Shanghai his best opportunity to visit a 
Chinese theatre. The drama in China until a few years ago 
occupied about the same position as the Mediaeval drama of 
Eui'ope. ^The plays were mostly of a religious or historical 
character and were performed on appropriate anniversaries by 
stfoLing bands of players in temples or in the courtyards of 
large residences. Usually the players were paid for the per- 
formance by a guild, by a private individual, or by public 
subscription. With the growth of the big Chinese population 
in the foreign settlement of Shanghai, western ideas made 
great changes in the drama of China and there are now in 
Shanghai a number of pretentious Chinese theatres conducted 
on western lines. 

With the last few years, there have been a number o£ 



114 HANDBOOK FOR CHINA 

foreign plays translated into Chinese, and others written about 
foreign characters. Of these, Napoleon is the favorite, and 
no traveler should miss an opportunity to see Napoleon and 
Josephine as portrayed by Chinese actors. The native pro- 
ducer of today is quite as up-to-date as his foreign contem- 
porary, and before the end of the recent revolution in China, 
the theatres of Shanghai were producing plays which portrayed 
the stirring battles of the revolution. Formerly actors were 
placed at the bottom of the social scale, along with barbers 
and beggars. But the late Empress Dowager did a great deal 
to put an end to this, for she was very much interested in 
theatricals and received many famous actors at the palace. 
Both Cantonese and Pekinese actors appear in Shanghai. 

At Sungkiang, 25 miles southwest of Shanghai on the 
Shanghai-Hangchow Railway^ is the grave of General Fred- 
erick Ward, the American who fought against the Taipings 
and organized the **Ever Victorious Army" taken over by 
General Gordon after Ward's death. The cemetery, which 
contains also the temple erected by the Chinese in honor of 
Ward, is outside the West Gate of Sungkiang. Ward was 
severely wounded in an engagement in Chekiang province 
September 20, 1862, and died the next day. His body was 
brought back to Sungkiang, where he had recruited his Chinese 
volunteers. A tablet at the tomb sets forth his praises as 
follows : *'An illustrious man from beyond the seas, he came 
6000 li to accomplish great deeds and acquire an immortal 
fame by shedding his noble blood. Because of him Sung- 
kiang shall be a happy land for a thousand autumns. This 
temple and statue shall witness to his generous spirit." 

There are many Chinese and foreign houseboats avail- 
able in Shanghai, and the traveler will find this not only the 
most pleasant, but a very cheap method of seeing many of the 
surrounding points of interest. But the trip should not be 
attempted during the mosquito season, which extends over 
the greater part of the summer. Several companies operate 
steam launches which make daily trips between Shanghai, 
Soochow and Hangchow, towing long strings of house or 
cargo boats. The launch trains leave the landings on Sooehow 



SHANGHAI 115 

creek each afternoon about 5 o'clock, reaching Soochow early 
the following morning or Hangchow during the following; 
afternoon. If the traveler is in no hurry, he can take a lei- 
surely trip, the boat being yuloed* or sailed, stopping at any 
point he likes. 

Houseboats may be rented for $8 to $12 a day, servants- 
and provisions being extra. The hotels are usually able to 
make all arrangements for houseboat trips, or they can be 
made through Cook's. Some of the most popular short trips 
are as follows : 

Week End Trip to the Hills. — Leave Shanghai Friday, 
sail or yuloh by way of Jessfield, reaching the hills at Feng- 
wan-shan Saturday night. Spend Sunday on the hills, leaving^ 
Sunday night and reaching Shanghai Monday morning. 

Triangular Trip. — The trip from Shanghai to Hang- 
chow, thence to Soochow and return to Shanghai may be 
made in six days. Leaving Shanghai in tow at 5 o'clock in 
the afternoon, one will arrive in Hangchow about twenty 
hours later, giving time to make arrangements that afternoon 
for the trip through the West Lake in a local boat on the 
following day^ taking luncheon along and returning to the 
houseboat in the afternoon. Spend the fourth day in visiting 
Hangchow city, leave that afternoon for Soochow, reaching 
there early the following morning. Soochow should be visit- 
ed in two ways, through the streets and through the canals, 
for each trip will give an entirely different impression of the 
city. Leaving Soochow in tow of a steam launch at 4 o'clock 
in the afternoon, one will arrive in Shanghai early the follow- 
ing morning. 

By adding one day to the trip, one may visit the beauti- 
ful lake Ta Hu. There are many opportunities to extend a 
houseboat trip by traversing the Grand Canal, visiting Ching- 
kiang, Wusieh and other places. 

Any houseboat or rail trip from Shanghai will show the 
intricate system of canals with which this part of the China- 
coast is intersected. These canals furnish the principal 



*TIie yuloh is a long single oar worked in the rear of the boat. 



116 HANDBOOK ?0R CHINA 

tneans of transportation, taking the place of roads in other 
countries, and in addition furnish the water with which 
the land is irrigated, while the rich silt at the bottom is 
periodically scraped out and used to fertilize the fields. 

Loonghwa Pagoda.— ThQ visitor who cannot visit any 
other city in China should see tlie Loonghwa pagoda, easily 
reached either by houseboat or motor car. The pagoda is by 
no means a fine one but it is typical and no one should leave 
China without seeing an example of this peculiar Chinese 
architecture. A climb to the top gives an excellent view of 
the surrounding country but owing to the dilapidated condi- 
tion of the structure it is safer to remain on the ground. 

Books for further Reference: Those who wish more 
detailed information regarding Shanghai should purchase 
Rev. C. E. Darivenfs ''Shanghai, a handbook for Travelers 
and Residents/' published by Kelly Walsh. 

Woosung. — A fairly good motor road now leads to Woo- 
sung, a favorite Sunday afternoon drive. A few miles from 
Woosung is the old walled city of Fao-shan, formerly an 
important place but now semi-deserted. It was formerly a 
center for the spinning of cotton yarn and the weaving of 
cotton cloth — all being done by hand. But with the coming 
of foreign cotton mills in Shanghai and the increased im- 
portation of foreign piece goods, the industry which was the 
mainstay of Pao-shan has languished and a large part of the 
population has moved to Shanghai. However the old hand 
looms remain — one of them being- found in every home and 
the traveler who is interested in Chinese handicrafts will find 
no better opportunit. to study the native weaving industry. 

Hangchow. — This City wMth a population of 750,000, is 
located on the Shanghai-Hangchow-Ningpo Railway and also 
on the Ch*ien T'ang River, no miles southwest of Shanghai. 
The towing charge for a houseboat from Shanghai to the 
Hangchow Settlement is from $10. to $15. From the Settle- 
ment it is necessary to go by train to the city station and thence 
to a hotel. Several Chinese hotels serve foreign style meals but 
the New Hotel on the West Lake is especially recommended.— 

Among the renowned cities of China, Hangchow. the 



HANGCHOW 117 

capital of Chekiang Province, holds a most important place. 
Few other cities have pla3^ed such an important part in the 
dramatic history of the country and few others are as pic- 
turesque, though most of its ancient glories have disappeared 
and the city is only a fraction of the size it was in its prime. 
In point of historical interest Hangchow is second only to 
Peking, while for the beauty of its surroundings it is even 
iiow second to no other city in China. 

The earliest notes we have of the site of Hangchow date 
back to the time of the great King Yu about B. C. 2198, who- 
organized the river systems of China and stopped the floods^ 
In his travels he is said to have landed here, hence the original 
name of Yu Hang, the "Place of the Boat-landing by Yu." 

About B.C. 210, the first emperor of the Ch'in dynasty came 
to the foot of the hill where the Needle Pagoda now stands 
and fastened his boat to the large rock now known as the Great 
Buddha. Evidently even at that time the plain of Hangchow 
was flooded by the sea. From early times to considerably later 
than the Christian era the present city hill and what is now 
known as Phoenix Hill were occupied by fishermen who lived 
in squalid huts. 

In A. D. 606 Yang Su built the first city walls and changed 
the early name to the present name of Hangchow. The walls 
he built are said to have been 36 li and 90 paces in cir- 
cumference. In A. D. 893, Ch'ien Liu. before he became the 
first of the famous Wu-Yueh Kings, rebuilt the walls of 
Hangchow with the circumference enlarged to 70 li or about 
23 miles. ?; ^ 

Then under the famous Wu-Yueh Kings, 900-980 A. D. four 
in all, there came Hangchow's golden age of building, when 
most of the famous monasteries, temples and all the pagodas 
were built. It was during this period that the first dyke walls 
were built, by Ch'ien Liu, about 910 A. D. and since then his 
name has ever been associated with this great work of engineer- 
ing, in spite of the fact that many subsequent alterations have 
been made. These dykes were built to hold the tidal wave or 
bore within certain reasonable shore and river limits. There 
are those who arc now living who have ^een this bore rise to 



113 HANDBOOK FOR CHINA 

the height of 22 feet at Haining, the mouth of the Ch'ien T'ang 
River. It has been grandiloquently described by an ancient 
philosopher, Chuang Chow, as being like "a high mountain, 
its crest as high as a house, its sound like thunder, its onward 
rush sufficient to move the heavens and to wash the face of 
the sun." 

The second golden age in the history of Hangchow came 
in the times of the Southern Sung Dynasty A. D. 1 130-1278. 
Hangchow became the center of foreign trade in China. 
*'Here the Parsee could be seen worshiping the rising sun or 
bowing at his fire altar, or carrying a corpse to the Tower 
of Silence: here the Jew intoned his Law and rested on the 
Sabbath : here the Christian, who had come overland from 
Persia, read his Syriac Bible: here too the Moslem built his 
Mosque, whence the muezzin chanted five times daily the 
sonorous call to prayer." 

In A.D. 1278 great Mongol hordes came to Hangchow, 
then called Lin-an, demolished its splendid walls and took 
vengeance on its inhabitants. Great libraries, both public and 
private, for which Hangchow was renowned, were confiscated 
and burned. Thousands of families were utterly annihilated 
and their estates confiscated. 

Marco Polo came to Hangchow, following the Mongol 
invasion, and his description of the city shows that much of 
its ancient grandeur had remained and some of it had been 
restored. Even then, in art, literature and commerce it was 
the Queen City of the Orient. It was the center of Oriental 
fashions and gaiety. Hither came merchants, travelers, 
missionaries and adventurers to view the place and enjoy 
material delights. The account that Marco Polo gives reads 
almost like the stories of ancient Rome in regard to the 
sensual indulgences of the people. 

Friar Odoric, who visited China A.D. 1324-1327 wrote 
of it as follows: ^'Departing thence I came unto the city of 
Cansay, (Hangchow), a name which signifieth the City of 
Heaven and 'tis the greatest city in the whole world, so great 
indeed that I should scarcely venture to tell of it, but that I 
have met in Venice people in plenty who have been '.here. It 



&AN*CGdO\7 119 



is a good hundred miles in eonipass, and there is not in it a 
span of ground that is not well peopled. And niihy a tenement 
is there that shall have ten or twelve households comprised 
in it. And there lie also great suburbs which contain a greater 
population than even the the city itself. This city is situated 
upon lagoons of standing water, with canals like: the city of 
Venice and it hath more than 1:^,090 bridges on each of which 
are stationed guards, guarding the city on behalf of the Great 
Khan. But if any one should desire to tell all the vastness 
and great marvels of this city, a good quire of stationery 
would not hold the matter, I trow. For 'tis the grandest and 
noblest city and the finest for merchandise that the whole 
world containeth." 

After the Mongols were driven out Ghang Shih Hsin 
rebuilt the walls of Hangchow about A. D. 1359 and because 
of great military emergency it is said the walls were completed 
in three days and three nights. The walls were thirteen miles 
in circumference and thirty feet high. The record states that 
in order to build the walls in this short space of time it re- 
quired 540,000 stone masons, 50,000 carpenters, 360,000 
plasterers, 6,675 metal workers and 4,500,000 coolies. The 
stone for this work was quarried from near the site of the 
present Needle Pagoda. 

In A. D. 165 1, Emperor Shun Chih of the Ch'ing Dynasty 
built. the wall of the recent Tartar City, which wall has been 
torn down since the Revolution and the entire section has been 
made into the present modern city, still called the ''Tartar 
City." In this same Ch'ing or Manchu Dynasty, Hangchow 
was honored by several visits from two of China's greatest 
emperors, K'ang Hsi and Ch'ien Lung. Many evidences of 
the visits of these emperors exist to day in temples, tablets, 
and in specially constructed roads. 

In A.D. i86o and again in 1862 the T'ai P'in| or Long 
Haired Rebels came to Hangchow and in a few months reduced 
nine-tenths of the city to ashes and. utter ruin. It is stated 
that four fifths of the inhabitants were massacred, tDr committed 
suicide, while the remainder were driven from the city. The 
canals were so full of the bodies of those who h&d committed 



120 Handbook f or cBxka 

suicide that those later wishing to end their existence could not 
find sufHeient water in which to drown themselves. Even tlie 
West Lake was so filled with dead bodies that one could walk 
out on it for a distance of a half li on them. 

Since the establishment of the Republic Hangchow has 
made notable civic progress. The Tartar City section is one 
of the finest of its kind in all China. Not even in Shanghai 
are to be found such broad fine streets. With the building o£ 
the railway Hangchow has again become the objective of 
thousands of travelers and it would seem as if the new hotels, 
could not be built fast enough to accommodate all who come.- 
The city abounds in pleasant little gardens and parks and 
altogether has the air of the pleasure resort that it is. 

A variety of industries are carried on in Hangchow. Like 
Soochow it has been noted for centuries for its silk 
manufacture which in recent years, through the tatrodaction^ 
of Japanese hand looms has had a marked revival. Among 
the ancient industries which have survived is the manufacture 
of ''joss paper", made from paper and tin foil. Even this 
industry has become modernized for in Hangchow they m|ke 
imitations of Mexican dollars rather than the former clumsy 
representations of the silver sycee. 

The most famous fan shop as well as the most famous, 
drug shop in China are to be found in this city. One wall of 
the fan shop is covered with certificates of awards received at 
foreign expositions. The drug shop is uncontafninated by 
modern ideas and dispenses nothing but remedies approved by 
the Chinese pharmacopeia. Attached to the establishment is. 
a large mmiber of deer cages 'v/here deer are kept. Any deer 
that are presented for sale are bought at once, so as ta 
encourage the hunters. The cost per deer is from two to four 
hundred dollars. The shop claims that everything is used but 
the horns^ a statement that may be skilful camouflage rathjr 
than the exact truth. A modern electric light plant, two cotton 
mitls, six silk filatures, a soap factory, match factory, and 
other institutions for the development of manual skill and trade 
in their products, are among the enterprises which mark Hang* 
chow's participation in the industrial development of China. 



;: HANGCHOW 121 

The Needle Pagod^ or *Trince Shus* Protecting Pagoda" 
with the other two famous pagodas of Hangchow mentioned 
below date back to the great building period of the Wu-Yueh 
Kings, approximately 950 years ago. There are two accounts 
concerning this one. 

The first account is that it was originally built by one of 
the Wu-Yueh Kings, and later that it was rebuilt by a priest 
whose name was Yang Pao Shu. This priest was stricken 
with blindness for the recovery of which he took a vow. On 
his recovery he fulfilled his vow by the rebuilding of the 
pagoda and later it was called after him Pao Shu Pagoda. 

The other account is that the last of the Wu-Yueh 
Kings, Ch'ien Hung Shu, went to Pien Liang to give his 
allegiance to one of the Sung Emperors. He feared he would 
not be allowed to return and made a vow that if his hopes 
were fulfilled he would build a pagoda as a taken of grati- 
tude. Because he was cordially received by the Emperor and 
permitted to return to Hangchow in peace he built this pagoda 
which commemorated his protection while absent from home. 

On the opposite or southern side of the Lake is the 
Thunder Peak Pagoda, also called the White Snake Pagoda. 
This pagoda was built by a concubine of one of the Wu-Yueh 
Kings, also about 950 years ago. It was originally planned to 
be seven stories high but for geomantic reasons it was reduced 
.to fi\re. Many of the the pagodas in China are built in order to 
affect the feng shtiiy in other words to control weather condi- 
tions. They are often built over the bones of some Buddhist 
priest who was regarded as a saint. Very often there are 
attached to them a monastery or temple and the pagoda itself 
often contains many Buddhist images which are worshipped 
by the pilgrims who come from the countryside. ^ 

This structure is also called the White Snake Pagoda 
because of a legend built up about it. An enchantress called 
the White Snake, who could change her form and often 
appeared as a beautiful woman, was buried under this pagoda 
by the Goddess of Mercy to make atonement for her past and 
to prepare her for the immortals. Her story fills a large 
volume and is one of the most famous of Hangchow legends. 



122 HANDBOOK FOR CHINA 

It is also interesting to note that oi the ancient structures 
in Hangchow this is the only one built of red brick and built 
long before red bricks were made in China's kilns. About 370 
years ago this part of the coast was infested by Japanese 
pjrates. They regarded this pagoda as a point of vantage for 
spying upon them in their approach from the sea so they built 
a great fire around it and for three days and nights it was 
burned, until all the outside framework was destroyed and the 
outer bricks were burned red. The nearer one goes to the 
core of the pagoda the mofe is the original color of blue 
grey -in evidence. 

The Six Harmonies Pagoda is located on the Ch'ien T'ang 
River about a mile and a half from the terminal station 
Zahkou. In China * the six harmonies" means ''everywhere'" 
that is the four points of the compass plus up and down. This 
pagoda was built to harmonise the geomantic influence of 
these six points. Another reason for its erection was to 
stay the force of the Hangchow Bore which in ancient 
times was more violent than it is to-day. It was built 
in the times of the Wu-Yueh Kings by a priest whose 
name meant ''The Prolongation of Life." It has seven 
stories on the outside and thirteen on the inside. It differs 
from the other two pagodas mentioned above in that it has 
an outside superstructure. The other two have only the 
original core. This wood superstructure was built about the 
20th year of the Emperor Kuang Hsii in iSgS at a cost of 
$175,000. It is one of the largest Pagodas in all China. 

Approximately 1660 years ago a Buddhist monk, Hui 
Li by name, came from his home in India to this beautiful 
valley where the Monastery of Ling-Yin or "Soul's Retreat.'' 
is located. The scenery was so similar to his native 
haunts that he named the hill to the left of the present 
main road the "Peak that Flew Over (from India)". In 
proof of his testimony he called forth. from a cave some 
distance from the real entrance, two small white monkeys. 
In the "Peak that Flew Over" are some of the oldest relics 
of Hangchow, carved Buddhas that date back to as far as 1300 
years ago. In front of this peak is also a small pagoda which 



HANGCHOW 125 

marks the tomb of Hui Li. Passing two pavilions one enter* 
"The Temple of the Kings of Heaven" in the center of which 
is the Laughing Buddha who welcomes the incoming pilgrims 
and who smiles upon all, whether good or evil. At his back 
is Wei T'o who is Commander in Chief of the Four Heavenly 
Kings. These latter, four in number, are in the four corners 
of the hall, and beginning with the nearest figure on the right 
going from East to South, North and West, form the temple 
guardians. The first deity has a kind of mandolin, the purpose 
of which is to rectify with music the hearts of men. The 
second has a sword to destroy evil spirits. The third has a» 
umbrella to cover and to give protection and the fourth has a 
snake wherewith to overcome all evil. 

In the main hall of the monastery are immense, newly 
bailt figures the center of which represents Shih Chia Mott 
Nyi, the Indian Prince Gotama or Siddartha who was the 
founder of Buddhism. The main figure at the beholder's 
right is called Yao Shih, a physician who represents the 
future ages. The one at the beholder's left is A Mi T'o- 
who represents the ages of the past and the intermediate figure 
on the left is A Nan, both of whom were disciples of Gotama. 
On the sides of this main hall are the principal Lohan or 
Disciples of Gotama. At the back of the main group will 
probably be erected a huge image of the Goddess of Mercy. 

To the left of the main hall is the ' Hall of the Five 
Hundred Lohan,*^ also disciples of Gotama, among whom can 
be seen the image of Marco Polo who visited Hangchow about 
1280 A. D. 

The main hall was built in 1911 at a cost of $200,000, Most 
of the lumber used in its construction is of Oregon pine. The 
erection of some of these huge pillars by primitive methods 
is a wonderful example of Chinese engineering. 

The Upper Monastery of India is farther up the same 
valley in which the Ling Yin Monastery is located and 
dates back to 980 years ago when a priest by the name 
of Tao I saw here a gleaming log of wood and carved 
from it a Goddess of Mercy. In the three main halls of this 
monastery which is dedicated solely to the goddess, she 



124 HANDBOOK J*OR CHINA 

appears under different forms and names, the inner temple 
being dedicated to her as a goddess who grants children. 
There are many imposing tablets in the main hall, testimonies 
to her prayer-answering power. 

The Monastery of Manifest Congratulations is near the 
site of the former Ch'ien T'ang Gate and was built about A. D. 
^^(i'j, during the rule of the Wu-Yueh Kings. It is especially 
noted for its "Altar of the Oath'' which is in a hall at the 
rear of the grounds. Here it is that men take their 
vows as priests and have the markings on the crowns 
of their heads burned in with incense. In the main hall the 
principal figures are covered with the old fashioned official 
umbrellas, a sight not common to-day. 

The principal points of interest on the West lake are the 
Imperial Island, called Ku-Shan (Solitary Hill) by the 
Chinese, also the lake dykes or causeways. About A. D. 
B21 a lock was built on the lake so as to store up water 
and deliver it at will for the irrigation of the country to 
the north-east. In A.D. 1090 the great Hangchow poet Su 
Tung P'o dug the lake deeper and built the causeway named 
after him on the western margin. About A. D. ii3o and later 
the lake and Imperial Island were made famous by the resi- 
dence of the Southern Sung Emperors. In A.D. 1700 and later 
the great Manchu Emperors K'ang Hsi and Ch'ien Lung built 
their palaces on the Imperial Island. In addition to visiting 
the various memorial halls on the island one ought to visit the 
public park, originally the site of one of the palaces of Emperor 
Ch'ien Lung. From the upper part of the park one can get a 
fine view of the lake. 

A smaller island fs known as Island of the Three Pools 
and the Moon's Reflection. (San T'an Yin Yueh). In the 
times of the Wu-Yueh Kings there was a pond here for 
the "Preservation of Life." At the farther end of the 
Island, towards the Thunder Peak Pagoda, are to be seen 
three small iron pagodas in the lake. When the poet Su 
was commissioned to dig and to improve the lake it is said 
that here there were three deep pits which were occupied by 
€vil spirits. He caused three pagodas to be built over these 



CH^KIANG PROVINCE 125 

pits and thus locked up the spirits so that boats could pass, 
without fear. The original pagodas are not to be seen to-day. 
On the island is the ^'Bridge of Nine Windings." There are 
also some memorial halls and pavilions for the pleasure of 
guests. 

The 'Tavilion of the Lake's Heart" is the name of a small 
island where was once a monastery which later was destroyed 
in the Ming Dynasty because of the ill-repute of its priests. The 
small temple now on the island is dedicated to the worship of 
the Dragon King. 

If one has the time it is worth while to visit the Moham- 
medan Mosque built in the T'ang Dynasty about A.D. 630. 
This Mosque is one of the ancient landmarks of Hangchovv.. 
If possible it would also repay the tourist to visit the City 
Hill and from there get a view of the city, the bay and the- 
Ch'ien T'ang River, also the lake and the surrounding hills^ 
It is a view of picturesque beauty uncommon in Chini. 

The Hangchow Union Evangelistic Committee has^ 
published a handbook of the various forms of missionary 
effort in Hangchow, including the medical work of the. 
Church Missionary Society, the Hangchow Christian College 
(with a location and view finer than that of any other institution- 
in the Orient,) the Union Girl's School, the new Y. M. C. A.. 
building, the Wayland Academy and the Mary Vaughan High 
School. If one wishes to make a study of such institutions, 
it would be wise to writ^ to the General Secretary of the 
Hangchow Union Evangelistic Committee, Da Fang Pah, 
Hangchow. 

Reference for farther reading: ''Hangchow Itineraries** 
by Dr. Robert Fitch, a local resident. Those who make an 
extended visit to Hangchow should certainly purchase a copy 
of this book which gives the routes of many pleasant 
excursions around the city, and the hills. 

Chekiang Province. — Chekiang is the smallest of the 
eighteen Provinces of China proper, containing 36,620 square 
miles, with a population of about 17 millions. Though' it is. 
known in a general way to travelers, few realise how much^ 
scenic beauty it contains. 



126 HANDBOOK FOR CHINA 

Rice is the principal crop of the province, practically all 
4)i the country being intersected with natural streams and 
artificial waterways, used for irrigating the rice fields. The 
-silk industry is also one of the most important industries and 
in Hangchow, the capital^ the finest guild hall of the city is the 
hall of the Silk Guild. Many parts of the province are 
covered with forests of mulberry trees so dense that one can 
easily lose one's way in them unless previously acquainted with 
the general direction of the little paths that run through them. 

Tea is largely grown in the hill districts and that culti- 
• vated round Hangchow is famous especially that which is 
-called "Dragon Well" tea, a variety of green tea from the 
"Dragon Well" valley which was served to the Imperial House- 
hold previous to the founding of the Republic. Fishing is an 
important industry on the rivejs, and canals and ^long the 
coast, and in the country around Ningpo may be found many 
ice houses, virtually straw huts, where ice is stored to be used 
for the preservation of fish by the fleets of boats when out 
fishing at sea. 

From an historical standpoint, few provinces are more 
interesting than Chekiang, which was for many centuries the 
southernmost part of China, all to the south of this province 
being given over to barbarian tribes. Shun and Yii are 
frequently mentioned in the annals of the province, in which 
annals are also mentioned the visits of the first emperor of the 
Chin Dynasty (B. C. 255-206) and ICang Hsi and Ch'ien Lung 
of the Manchu line. Chang Tao-ling, the "pope" of the Taoists, 
was born A. D. 34 in thi& province. The province was overrun 
by the Taiping rebels who took all of its principal cities and 
laid most of its territories waste. 

The principal cities are Hangchow the capital, Ningpo and 
Shaohing. The latter place is much older than Ningpo while 
Hangchow is comparatively modern. There is evidence that 
Shaohing existed as far back as 2200 B.C. and that the great 
Yu held court there after the flood. His tomb is situated in 
the country not far from the city of Shaohing and constitutes 
one of the famous sites of Chekiang. 

By going to the port of Haimen one can go up to the 






SHAOHING 127 

T'ien-Tai monasteries which are famous throughout China, 
They are built on mountains from three to four thousand feet 
above the level of the sea and have long constituted a center for 
higher Buddhism, sometimes visited by Japanese and Korean 
priests. They date from the visit of an Indian monk who came 
there over a thousand years ago, and on the hills there are many 
legends concerning him, connected with the temple and the 
natural features of the place. In connection with one of the 
monasteries are loS hermitages, running along the bank of a 
lovely mountain stream, in the midst of thick woods. The 
begging bowl of Tsu Tsai Ta Su the Indian founder is also 
shown. There are fine virgin forests, beautiful streams and 
many striking waterfalls. 

The gorges of the Ch'ien T'ang River are also famous for 
their beauty. To reach them it is necessary to go to the 
Hangchow suburban station, Nan-shin-chiao, and from there to 
go on the Ch'ien T'ang launch line, which takes one to T'ung Lu, 
arriving there about five p.m. of the same day. From thence 
one should take a native houseboat, especially designed for the 
river current and go up the gorges for about eighty li to the 
town of Yen-chow. In the gorges the current is crystal clear, 
there are many sand bars, charming native boats, huge rafts of 
pine and bamboo, and a constantly unfolding panorama of 
loveliness in hills, water and sky, with swift rapids, the channel 
'Opening occasionally into open country but generally closing in 
within narrow banks. If possible one should walk the entire 
distance up the stream on the narrow tow path on the high 
banks, so as to enjoy the scenery more and to view it to better 
advantage. 

The Hangchow Tidal Wave, or Bore, a natural wonder 
of this province, is fully described on page 134. 

Shaohing. — This important but little known city of 
Chekiangis seventy miles west of Ningpo and 35 miles east of 
Hangchow. The place may be reached from either Hangchow 
or Ningpo by steam launch, sedan chair and native house boat. 
Being off the usual routes of foreign travel it should not be 
visited except by those who have special business there and 
who are willing to make the necessary preparations. From 



HANDBOOK FOR CHINA 



Shanghai the Ningpo route though longer is more attractive aa 
it takes one through some beautiful mountain scenery. Popula- 
tion about 30o,oco. 

The^records of Shaohing go back to the beginning of 
China's history, for places in the district are intimately associat- 
ed with the great Emperor Shun (2255-2205 B.C.) His mother 
is said to have been a native of Yu Yao or Shang-yu. Shun's 
successor, the great Yu (2205-2197 B.C.) is buried in the hills 
three miles east of the city. The fine S3^stem of water-ways 
for which the fertile Shaohing plain is famous are attributed 
to him. The city which is now known as Shaohing was built 
in 480 B.C. The day after the completion of the city it was 
discovered that a new hill had appeared during the night, which 
was given the name ''Fl.ying Hill" as it v/as said originally to 
have been an island off the coast of Shantung. 

In 1862 the city suffered severely at the hands of the Tai- 
pings, but it made a quick recovery. Today it is a busy market, 
famous throughtout China for its silk and satin, spirit money,, 
wine and vessels of brass and pewter. The largest of the 
Chinese bells on exhibitioiz in the British Museum was cast 
just outside a gate of the city. But the best known product of 
the city is its men. A- Chinese proverb says there are three 
things which are found everywhere under heaven ''bean curd^ 
sparrows and Shaohing men." The Shaohing men are to be 
found in every cornfjr of the country and are famous as govern- 
ment clerks. Another class have, in many places, dominated 
the business of carrying chairs. Nearly all the chair coolies of 
Hangchow are from Shaohing. 

The city is an ^nifx^rtant center for missionary work which 
dates from 186 r. Three societives are represented there — 
China Mission S-ociety, China Inland Mission and American 
Baptist Foreign Mission Society. 

Pootoo, the Sacred Island. — Fifty miles east of Ningpo — 
off the north eastern coast of Chekiang and accessible by 
means of steamers either from Shanghai or Ningpo is the 
sacred island of Pootoo one of the Causan archipellago notable 
for two reasons. Among foreigners living in Shaaghai it is 
-known as the nearest bathing beach, to Chinese Buddhists it is 



POOTOO, THE SACRED ISLAND 129 

the most sacred place in East China. During the summer 
•occasional excursion steamers run direct from vShanghai to 
Pootoo, enabling one to spend the week end there. The Sacred 
Island does not maintain a hotel and those who go there except 
by the excursion steamer will lind lodging in one of the many 
temples. As the island is purely Buddhist, no animal is sup- 
posed to be killed on it and no animal food can be served. 
However, there is a Chinese hospital and under the pleasing 
fiction that all foreigners and other non-Buddhists are ill, eggs, 
chickens and other forms of animal food are available. Those 
who go to Pootoo to spend a holiday should remember that as 
in other parts of China the hospitable temple means bare 
Avails and floors with, usually, an equally bare bed. 

Pootoo is about four miles long and very irregular in 
shape, ranging in width from three miles to a few hundred 
yards. It is known to the Chinese Buddhist as one of the four 
5acred hills, a distinction which its geography justifies by the 
possession of a hill nearly looo f eethigh. Owing to the nearness 
to the outlets of the Yangtze and Ch'ien T'ang rivers, the water 
surrounding PoGtoo is muddy. The bays on fjbe eastern side are 
bordered with beaches of yellow sand on which heavy breakers 
roll. The landing place is a well built jetty on the extreme 
southern part of the island. From here well-paved roads, 
"kept in good repair, lead to all the principal temples with 
smaller roads branching off in all directions to the various 
grottoes, shrines and smaller temples. The full name of 
Pootoo is Putoloka, the name of the mythical sacred hill from 
which Avalokitesvara, one of the mo<it important of Buddhist 
Gods, looks down on the world. With the spread of Buddhism 
to Thibet, a second Putoloka came into existence at Lhasa and 
Pootoo is the third. Because of the natural beauty of the 
place it was famous in Chinese mythology long before the 
advent of Buddhism and indeed it did not become a Buddhist 
shrine until 847 A.D. when a Buddhist pilgrim from India 
saw in the mists of a cave a vision of the goddess Kuanyin. 
Other pilgrims visited the place and there were other miraculous 
manifestations which have continued to the present time. The 
powers of the goddess, however, were not strong enough to 



130 HANDBOOK FOR CHINA 

prevent the depredations of Japanese pirates, who during the 
Ming d3masty, destroyed most of the religious settlements and 
in 1387 drove most of the monks to the mainland. For a century 
Pootoo was nominally deserted and its history a blank. The 
work of rebuilding started in the early part of the sixteenth 
century but 150 years later, in 1665, Dutch pirates driven from 
Formosa, plundered and burned the temples. In i683 the 
monks returned and since that time they have lived in 
comparative peace and prosperit3^ 

The island contains about one hundred temples and 
monasteries and is the residence, normally of about one 
thousand monks. Almost all of the temples and monasteries, 
v/ith their neighboring shrines and grottoes, are intimately 
connected with the mirculous happenings of the island, or with 
the visits of the many famous pilgrims who at various times 
have visited the place. 

The nineteenth day of the eleventh month of the old 
Chinese calendar is regarded as the birthday of the Kuan-yin 
and this event is celebrated on Pootoo with special stately 
ceremonies. The number of regular monks is greatly increased 
while thousands of laymen came from all parts of China. 
Interesting as these ceremonies are, it is a time to be avoided 
by the foreign traveler who does not want to undergo the 
discomforts of crowded travel. 

Most of the buildings on Pootoo date from the early part 
of the eighteenth century when repairs and reconstruction 
were undertaken by Yung Cheng. Of these structures the most 
important are the ''Southern*' and "Northern'' monasteries, 
located on the island as their names imply. These two 
establishments divide the honors in the ordination of monks, 
performing the function in alternate years. Each monastery 
is a triumph of Chinese arhitecture and each contains treasures 
which have been accumulated during the centuries. The story 
of each is a story not only of Pootoo but of Buddhism itself 
and of the history of China because every change in the ancient 
Empire was reflected here and recorded in the local annals. 

As might be supposed many fabulous stories are told — and 
believed— about Pootoo. It does not, like another island, boa?t 



POOTOO, THE SACRED ISLAND 131 

of the absence of snakes for they are numerous here but 
according to the monks, all are harmless. lu at least one 
place the vision of the Lord Buddha may be seen by those 
whose faith is strong enough. Among the many miraculous 
happenings connected with the history of the island, none is 
more interesting to foreigners than the story of the loss and 
recovery of the great bell of the Northern Monastery. The 
story is told by R. F. Johnston in his Buddhist China, a book 
which all students of Chinese Buddhism should read. 

"This bell was cast by the founder of the monastery, 
Ta-Chih, in the last quarter of the sixteenth century. The 
Red-hairs carried it off as part of their loot, and succeeded 
in safely conveying it to the gateway of their capital in *the 
country of Europe.' There, however, it fell down, and, owing 
to its great weight, was left lying where it fell. Gradually 
sinking into the soft ground, it at last disappeared altogether, 
and w^as forgotten. But in 1723 a sound like the rolling of 
thunder was suddenly heard coming from the ground; w^here- 
upon amazed people of the neighbourhood dug up the ground 
and discovered the bell. 

^'Somehow or other these events came to the knowledge of 
the monastic authorities. The abbot of the monastery at the 
time of the discovery of the bell w^as one Fa-tse, who happened 
to be a native of Fukien, and was acquainted with many 
merchants who were engaged in foreign trade. Through these 
merchants negotiations were opened with * the country of 
Europe ' with a view to the recovery of the long lost bell. The 
negotiations ended successfully, and in the year 1728 it was 
brought back to China and landed at Namoa Island, near the 
port of Swatow, in the Canton province. Difficulties as to its 
reshipment w^ere not overcome till 1733, which by a happy 
coincidence was the year which witnessed the completion of a 
restoration of the monastery under the auspices of K'ang-hsi's 
son, the emperor Yung-cheng. To the great joy and wonder 
of the monks the bell was finally disembarked at Pcotoo on the 
thirtieth day of the tenth month, at the very time when a 
solemn service was being held in the great hall of the monas- 
tery to celebrate his Majesty's birthday. 



132 HANDBOOK FOR CHINA 

'*There is no reason to doubt that the story as thus told in 
the annals of the monastery is substantially true; but it seems 
improbable that the monks were correct m their belief that the 
bell had actually been conveyed to Europe. The Chinese of 
those days had very vague ideas of geography, and the monks 
of Pootoo had evidently no very distinct knowledge of the 
political divisions of the 'country of Europe/ Perhaps the 
bell did not make quite so long a journey as they supposed. The 
suggestion may be hazarded that its resting place during the 
period from 1665 to 1732 was no European town, but Bitavia, 
a city of the Dutch East Indies, and though its old ramparts no 
longer exist, it was a strong walled town in the seventeenth 
and eighteenth centuries. Possibly the Chinese story of the 
fall of the bell at the gates of the city, and its subsequent 
disappearance until its presence underground was revealed by 
a sound like rolling thunder, is based on the historical fact 
that in 1699 Batavia was visited by a destructive earthquake. 
Thus the real course of events miy have been something like 
this : the bell v/as carried from Pootoo to Java in 1655 5 ^'t was 
suspended in a tower on the wall of the city of Batavia ; it re- 
mained there till 1699, when the wall was destroyed by an 
earthquake; it lay buried under the ruins of the wall until 
1723; and in that year, after it had disappeared from view for 
almost a quarter of a century, the removal of the debris 
restored it to the light of day, The inscription on the bell, we 
may suppose, was read by Chinese residents in Java, who 
learned thereby the name of the monastery to which it 
originally belon,;ed. Through them the story may easily have 
come to the ears of the Chinese merchants of Fukien, v^ho at 
that time controlled a large proport'on of China's foreign trade. 

*'The joy of the monks at the return of their founder's bell 
was tempered by their discovery of the melancholy fact that it 
was no longer in a fit condition to serve its proper purpose. 
It had been cracked and injured to such an extent that before 
the hearts of monks and pilgrims could again be thrilled by its 
mellow tones it had to be put through the process of recasting. 
Their work was not carried out for nearly a hundred years. It 
hung silently- in its tower till 1825, when a wealthy pilgrim 



MOKANSHAN 133 

named Hsu having interested himself in its history, undertook 
to defray the cost of having it recast. It is the bell of Ta- 
trhih, originally cast before the year 1592, but re-cast in or 
shortly after the year 1825 by the pilgrim Hsu, that hangs 
today in the Dell-tower of the Northern Monastery/' 

The highest point on the island is near the Northern 
Monastery and is reached by a pathway from that establish- 
ment. From the summit there is a magnificent view^ of the 
Chusan archipellago. 

Only recently have foreigners come to appreciate the 
natural beauties of this place, one of the prettiest in the 
countr}^, and its many advantages as a place for an outing. It 
is always possible to secure rooms in one of the temples or 
■monasteries, but bedding, food supplies, and cooking utensils 
should be taken on the trip. One should be careful not to 
visit the place when the pilgrimages are at their height. 

Throughout China the anniversary of the ''goddess cross- 
ing the sea" is celebrated at Buddhist temples on the igthof 
the 6th moon, commemorating the crossing of the image ot 
Kwanyin to Pootoo with the Monk Agaku. 

References: — The author is greatly indebted to R. F. 
Johnston's ''Buddhist China" for the information about 
Pootoo contained in these paragraphs. One of the first 
foreigners to visit the island zvas Charles Gntzlaff who landed 
there in 183 s cind described it in his^' Journal of tJiree Vogages.'* 
\The place is mentioned in books by many travelers but none 
lias so complete a description as thai contained in Air. 
Johnston's book. 

Mokanshan. — About 30 miles to the north of Hangchow is 
Mokanshan, a summer resort, frequented by foreigners. The 
resort is situated on a hill 2000 feet high, covered b}' a bamboo 
forest which provides many pleasant shaded roads. The 
houses are mostly owned by foreign missionaries of Chekiang 
province and of Shanghai. Alokanshan can be reached from 
Shanghai in ten hours by rail, motor boat, and mountain chairs. 
The Shanghai-HangchovNT Railway undertakes all arrange- 
ments or the traveler can secure transportation through Cook's. 
Advance reservations at the hotel should be made. 



%34 HANDBOOK FOR CHINA 

The Hangcliow Bors. — The Hangcho'vV Bay derives its 
name from the fact that the city of Hangchow lies practically 
at the end of an extensive gulf and on the mouth of a river, 
the Ch'ien T'ang, which has a drainage area of 12,000 square 
juiies. The port and suburb of Hangchov^ is Zahkou lying 
directly on the shores of the Ch'ien T'ang. 

The bay has become known to navigators and the general 
public more because of its inaccesibility to power crafts than 
from the standpoint of a port. Its inaccessibility is due to a 
tidal phenomenon known in different countries as bore, eager,, 
mascaret, pocaraca, etc. which usually takes place in a bay 
or estuary which has extensive mud flats, dr}^ at low water 
and where the tide frequent'}^ rises with such rapidity as to 
cause the wave to break in the form of a vertical wall of water. 
The bore of the Ch'ien T'ang is not a tidal wave. There are 
no regular undulations of the surface. Particles of wood 
have been seen borne along on or immediately behind the crest 
of the bore — retaining their relative position with respect to 
the crest of the bore for long distances. 

The ocean tide, breaking as it does at spring tide into a 
vertical wall of water running up the river, is the result of 
several influences acting simultaneously and may be described 
as follows. The conformation of the Bay may be likened to an 
enormous funnel. At its entrance it is approximately 60 miles 
wide, narrowing down to a width of nine miles atKanpu, 70 
miles inland, a contraction of 51 miles in 70 miles. At Zahkow 30 
miles further inland it has a width of two miles. The entrance 
is traversed by a chain of islands, the Chusan Archipelago, 
which occupy about sixty per cent of the width; a natural 
promontory projects into the bay from the northern shore at 
Kanpu, and another promontory, probably the result of silting 
and reclaiming, projects from the southern shore opposite 
Hsiao Hsi San. 

The depths at the entrance of the bay and as far as Kanpu 
are fairly uniform ranging from four to five fathoms. 
Occasional deep holes appear along the Chapu bay. Near 
Kanpu the sand bar practically extends across the bay suddenly 
reducing the depth in the channel to one or two feet and 



the; HANGCnoW BOR^ 135 

from here up the river to Zahkou the depths never exceed two 
feet at lowest lov^ water. 

The ocean tide has a rise varying from 6 to i6 feet 
and enters the bay through the narrow passes between the 
islands. This tide advances rapidly into the bay, causing a 
piling up of the waters in the vicinity of Kanpu, the rise 
here in the spring being 28 to 32 feet. The rise during 
the first and second hour of flood at Kanpu is twelve to 
fourteen feet. 

During this rapid rise at Kanpu the water is rapidly fall- 
ing above Kanpu ; two hours before the wave breaks into a 
bore there is a difference of level of nine to twelve feet 
between Chanu and Kanpu — and a similar difference between 
Haining and Kanpu, the slope of the water surface being 
towards Kanpu from both directions. The rise at Kanpu is 
very rapid and when it is low water at Haining, the water 
has risen so that the slope from Kanpu is reversed and the 
difference betweer Kanpu and Haining is 12 feet; when this 
condition becomes critical the wave breaks and runs up the 
river in the form of a bore. 

The sand bars and the natural channel of the river cause 
the currents to divide near Kanpu; one current is deflected 
towards the southern shore and the other runs up the channel. 
The current running towards the southern shore is again de- 
flected to the northern shore -and comes against the sea wall 
at right angles to the current coming up fne channel. These 
meet about 13 miles below Haining Pagoda and run up the 
river as one wave. The bore passes Haining practically as the 
moon crosses the meridian. 

The height and force of the wave depend primarily upon 
the tide. As a general rule the bore is highest at the equinoxes 
and when it is nev7 or full moon, with the moon in perigee. The 
height however is greatly affected by the wind, the fresh water 
discharge of the Ch'ien T'ang and the position of the 
sand bars opposite Kanpu. The position of the bars ch.ange with 
^very tide but seem to be shifted back and forth across the 
river according to the season. When the bars are f orm.ing along 
the northern shores or are reduced bv the river's flow, the bare 



136 HANDBOOK ^OR CHINA 

is less. At low river they are built up again and the bore i& 
again higher. 

At Haining the roar of the rising water may be heard 
from 45 mii.utes to an hour before the bore arrives at the 
Pagoda. It first appears as a long white streak across the 
horizon, alternately rising and falling. Shortly after the bore 
arrives in sight, junks riding in on the after rush may be Seen. 
The front seems to grow higher and higher. The wave from 
the south-east superimposes itself on the wave from the east 
about ten miles below Haining, reaching its maximum height 
about at the Pagoda ; from here it begins to fall away. 

The front advances at about 15 knots at spring tide and; 
from eight to ten knots at neaps. After the vertical front has 
passed the water rises rapidl}^ — eight to ten feet in one hour — 
and the tidal stream runs from four to six knots ; the duration 
of the rising tide is about three hours and of the falling 
nine hours. 

During the first two hours of falling water the tidal stream 
runs about four to six knots, and the water falls about four 
feet in the first hour, while during the last two hours of 
falling water the change in level is hardly perceptible. 

Haining is an important market for charcoal which comes 
down the Ch'ien T'ang. Junk harbours or shelters have been- 
constructed to protect the junks from the force of the bore- 
These junk shelters are elliptical buttresses about 1000 feet 
apart, built out some 30 to 40 feet from the sea wall. Between 
the buttresses junk shelves from six to eight feet high and 
extending along and out from the sea v/all about 20 feet have 
been built. The junkman comes alongside at high water, lashes 
his strong hawsers on shore and when the tide goes out, 
the junk is resting on the shelf. The vertical face of the 
bore seldom reaches the top of the shelf for the buttress has 
broken the force of the wave— and he rides up clear again on 
the after rush. 

The wall at Haining is about 26 feet high ; the bore and 
after tide seldom reaches the top of the sea wall. However 
an earthen dyke four to six feet high, and eight to ten feefc 



NINGPO 137 

behind the sea wall provides additional protection in case of 
higher tides. 

Legends relating to the bore indicate that this phenomenon 
was known in the early part of the 5th century B.C. and that 
embankaients were built outside Hangchow in 1000 A.D. 

Various mythical accounts of the cause of the bore are 
related by the Chinese; the most generally told myth is that a 
General being unusually successful against the enemies of the 
emperor and thereby having become very popular with his 
people, excited the jealousy of iiis sovereign who caused him 
to be assassinated and thrown into the Ch-'ien T'ang, and 
his troubled spirit sought ever after to avenge its wrath by 
flooding the country. Many pngodas, temples and smaller 
places of worship have been erected along the sea wall and 
thousands proceed here yearly to offer sacrifices. 

The best place to observe the bore is at Haining — a small 
market town about 40 miles from Hangchow. Haining may 
be reached by rail from Shanghai or Hangchow. Leaving the 
railroad at Changan, small native boats or chairs may be 
obtained, and one arrives at Haining Pagoda in about 2 hours. 
Changan and Haining are both accessible by houseboat from 
Shanghai. 

The usual supposition that the bore only occurs at the 
equinoxes is wrong. The Chinese have made it a custom to go 
at this season, but the bore may be seen at any time; probably 
the best is at new or full moon. 

Ningpo. — Is 150 miles south of Shanghai, connected with 
that port by daily steamer s(^fvice. Fare $ro. Population 
about 260,000 ; with the suburbs, another 150,000. Opened as 
a treaty port 1842, but has no extensive foreign settlement. 
British and French post offices in addition to Chinese. 

With the history of Ningpo is associated the earliest 
attempts of Europeans to establish themselves in China, for 
the Portuguese traders settled here in 1522 and soon establishe'd 
a prosperous colony, which numbered 1200 twenty years later. 
At that time trouble arose between the Portuguese and the 
Chinese, when the settlers, refusing to obey the laws of China, 
were ordered to be expelled. The colony was attacked by 



138 HANDBOOK B'OR CHINA 

Chinese troops and 800 Portuguese massacred. In the latter 
part of the 17th century, the East India Company established a 
post near Ningpo on the island of Chusan, but trade conditions 
were not good and the place was abandoned. Ningpo was one 
of the first five ports thrown open to foreigners and though 
the center of a large foreign trade at one time, has since 
declined in importance. 

Ningpo was a city of great antiquity at the time these 
European adventurers cam.e. The present city, 1200 years old, 
v/as built near the site of a much older city which was men- 
tioned in the tim.e of Yii (B.C. 2205). The great Emperor 
Shun, the Cincinnatus of China, is said to have tilled his fields 
near Yuyao, a small city about 40 miles west of Ningpo. 
Near Shaohing stands the tomb of the Great Yii, who sub- 
dued the deluge four thousand years ago. 

The city is situated 15 miles from the sea on the Yung 
River whose branches water the fertile Ningpo plain. A good 
view of Ningpo's magnificent surroundings can be secured 
from the top of the Heaven-Invested Pagoda, built in 696, and 
one of the oldest in China. Th? hills which form the 
easternmost poition of the mountain range of which the 
Himalayas are a part enclose the plain in a great natural 
amphitheater in a grand sweep of more than 100 miles. The 
walls of the city are five miles in circumference, 25 feet high and 
partly enclosed by a moat. Plans are fully matured for the 
destruction of this wall and its disappearance, together with 
the filling in of the intramural canals should add perceptibly 
to the health of the inhabitants. Several of the main streets 
are spanned by magnificent arches, erected in memory of the 
many Ningpo men who have played important parts in China's 
history. 

An interesting legend concerning the river is told by 
Archdeacon Moule,whohas written so interestingly of. Ningpo. 
In ancient times a dragon used periodically to emerge from 
the river and unless appeased by the yearly offering of a boy 
and girl would ravage the community. In the year 618 a 
mandarin was on his way to Ningpo to assume office, coming 
at a time when the annual sacrifice was made. As he traveled 



NINGPO 139 

aross the plain he saw two country people, man and wife, with 
a little boy and girl being taken for the sacrifice. The 
magistrate's heart was stirred at hearing their story and on 
arriving at the spot where the dragon was due to appear, he 
mounted a white horse and armed with a sword made of rushes 
plunged into the water. In a shor&: time there v/as a great 
commotion in the river and soon the surface was dyed with 
the blood of the dragon and champion. Neither was seen 
again. At the same moment a pool welled up in the city, over 
•which a temple has been built in memory of the mandarin and 
^ach May every house in Ningpo has a cross of reeds over its 
door in commemoration of the anniversary. 

Ningpo is the commercial metropolis of Chekiang province 
-and although the foreign trade is not now what it was forty 
years ago, owing to the opening of ether ports, the Chinese 
trade shows a steady increase. A great deal of household 
furniture is made there, and it is a center for the manufacture 
of "joss paper." Ningpo is second only to Foochow in the 
production of lacquer, and is famous for carved work in white 
wood. 

Shallow draft steamers are able to navigate the mouth of 
the river and anchor at Ningpo, maintaining a daily service 
with Shanghai. Steam launches ply farther up the river, 
•enabling the traveler to visit the interior. A railway connects 
the port with Pah-Kwun, fifty miles distant and will eventually 
connect v/ith the railway to Shanghai. ~'^- 

Tbe approach to the port is through the islands of the 
Chusan archipelago, and the scenery which they form has been 
often likened to that of the most beautiful parts of the Inland 
:Sea of Japa^n. The banks of the river, from its mouth to the 
•cjty are lined with straw hui5, but as the traveller is preparing 
to comniiserate the people on the wretchedness of their dwe'l- 
ing, he learns that these huts are all of them ice-houses. Ningpo 
is the greatest fishing-port and the greatest fish market in the 
entire land; to this fact the existence of the ice-houses is 
due; and the business man or missionary who passes the 
summer in the fervent heat there, can thank the fishes in the 
sea that he is able to eat ice cream every day if he wishes, as 



140 HANDBOOK FOR CHINA 

not mariy dwellers in Chinese outpoits are able to do. Witb 
the coming of the ciittle-tiih season each spring, great fleets- 
of boats move down the river to the sea, and for weeks 
afterwards th"^ pervasive odor of drying cutlle-lish is wafted 
on nearly every breeze that blows over the town. 

Except for the influence of the trade in fish, the streets do 
not show much outward difference from those of any of the large 
towns in the Wu-speaking districts. The average visitor thinks- 
that when he has seen one of them, he has seen them all. But 
there are none the less many things of interest to him who- 
will take the trouble to search them out. 

The river is spanned by two bridges made ot big barges? 
lashed together, which rise and fall with the tides. Life on 
the bridges from month to month is almost that of a little 
world in itself. There are of course hucksters and fortune- 
tellers and beggars of every description. There is the high- 
souled brother who will help you to acquire merit by selling 
you a snake which you may release into the water (they are 
all harmless w^ater-snakes). Just across the newer of the 
bridges is a pyramidal structure of stone some twenty or 
more feet high, which on examination proves to be a 
monument erected to the memory of the sailors and soldiers,.. 
French and British, who perished at Ningpo in the troubles of 
the Taiping rebellion. Half a mile up the river is the little 
Catholic ceme:er3-, where several French officers, also victims 
of those stirring times, are buried. Inside the city is a. 
residence of the Church Missionary Society where they 
preserve with care a hole in the wall, and the cannon-ball^ 
v/hxch made it, the result of fire from a British gunboat at the 
same period. 

The pagoda has been already spoken of. It is in the care 
of the priests of a monastery next door. No census of 
the temples of Ningpo has yet been made in English but the 
casual passer-by soon comes to the conclusion that Ningpo is. 
much what St. Paul said Athens was,— very religious. There 
are of course the regular temples to the city deities. There is 
the Foochow guild temple, with its remarkable carved stone 
pillars. There is a fine old Confucian temple, which with itSv 



NINGPO 141- 

attendant 6uildirigs makes a ?roup faat can only be compared to 
foreign college building groups; and the existence of a library 
and of a residence for an Educational Commissioner makes 
the comparison not wholly inapt. The temple itself, however^ 
is used only for the semi-annual sacrifices. Ningpo is the seat 
of a vigorous Buddhist movement, for which the neighboring 
monasteries of Pootoo, the sacred island, and one of the five 
great Buddhist centers in China, is largely responsrble. The 
Buddhist religion is decadent in many quarters of China but 
not here. The Buddhists support an excellent orphanage and 
have begun to publish a bi-weekly paper, called "The New 
Buddhism/^ written in popular style and with contributions 
from returned students. The Confucianists are not so much 
in evidence, but the ''Society for Mutual Good Works" which 
professes to be elected and which claims a large mem.bership 
here, is really a form of Confucianism. -^-^ 

The most interesting street for the stranger to visit is the 
main shopping street which extends from the East gate for two 
miles to the opposite West gate. This magnificent thoroughfare 
is a little difficult to find, for the entrance is narrow and is 
approached through shops crov/ded on the valuable land just 
outside the gate. A fev/ years since the lirst half mile of the 
street was a fine exam.ple of the old style Chinese street of the 
better sort, with splendid old signs whose calligraphy was 
much admired by scholars. But one fire after another has 
'^occurred''; incidentally a fire is a common thing in the city, 
and the summer night that does not furnish a glare on the 
horizon indicates a wet season. Fire walls at intervals of 
about two hundred yards through the business portion of the 
city confine the fires, but there have been enough of them to 
change the character of that part entirely, and now the visitor 
will walk past Anglo-Chinese architectural abominations for 
a long distance, resplendent in gilt and black, and in red 
brick, and lit v/ith sun-bursts of electric lights, till he will 
wonder what sort of creature conceived this style of renais- 
sance building. Fortunately the goods within are the same, 
and should he wish to buy silks and satins, or furs, or linen, 
or pearls or jade, or what you will, here is the chance. The- 



142 HANDBOOK ^GR CHINA 

furniture wliich has been alluded to is most of it made in a 
.quarter not far away, which is decidedly worth a visit. The 
inlaid bone work is a speciality of the port, not made 
^elsewhere, and the work in it on a Chinese bedstead the size of 
,a whole room will make the visitor gasp, v/hen he realizes the 
amount of artistic labor involved. 

The visitor interested in mission work will find much to 
.observe. The Roman Catholics have a large work in three 
widely separated com.pounds. Their cathedral is on the Bund, 
.and its clock-tov/er is a land-mark for miles around. Only 
the pagoda overtops it. There are six Protestant missions 
,at work. 

Mention was made earlier of some of the ancient worthies 
-who come from Ningpo and its neighborhood. To that number 
-should be added the philosopher Wang Yang-ming called the 
Chinese pragmatist who was born in the city of Yuyao and 
has his temple there still; to his writings many Japanese 
ascribe the origin of the spirit which has made their nation a 
first-class pov/er. The Chinese worship him as a divinity but 
they have not yet absorbed his spirit. Many of the great 
merchants of Shanghai are Ningpo men. 

The long-time resident of Ningpo comes to learn that the 
-people are not very progressive, in spite of the fact that they 
have burned out and rebuilt the business portion of their city, 
and have an electric-lighting system, and a telephone system. 
But in general the town is unfriendly to new ideas. The 
proximity of Shanghai has drained the town of just the class 
that is forward-looking, for Shanghai is filled with Ningpo 
men. The slower and more cautious element is left at home; 
whence the orthodox conservatism of the old city; progress 
-there undoubtedly is ; and when the railroad is completed to 
Hangchow, progress will be faster; but on the whole one 
can more easily find old China here than in almost any open 
port in the land. 

Shanghai-Nanking Railway. — This road runs through 
one of the most thickly populated sections of China, connect- 
ing Shanghai and Nanking, with an extension from Shanghai 
to Woosung. The length of the Shanghai-Nanking line is 



scocHOW 143^ 

193 miles. With the branch to Woosuug the total mileage is 
203. Construction of this road was begun in 1904 and tlie 
work was completed four years later at a total cost of Tls. 
18,718,000. The funds for construction were secured from a 
British loan. At Nanking the road connects, by means of a 
river ferry, with the southern terminus of the Tientsin-Pukow 
line, making possible a rail trip from Shanghai to Peking, or 
from Shanghai to Paris. The road makes it possible for the 
visitor with only a short time in Shanghai to see some of the 
most interesting places in China at sniall cost. Although the 
night express is comfortable, travelers should make the trip- 
between Shanghai and Nanking by day because of the very 
interesting country" traversed. It is one of the most fertile 
and intensely cultivated sections of China and throughout the 
growing season nearly every square foot of the countryside 
is planted. The trip between Shanghai and Nanking may be^ 
made in seven hours by express. 

Important points on the line are: 

Miles from Miles frcra- 

Shanghai Nanking 

o Shanghai (see page 103) 193 

32 Kunshan_, a seaport 20C0 years ago 161 

53 Soochow (see page 143) 140 

80 Wusih (see page 149) 113 

1,50 Chinkiang (see page 151) 43 

193 Nanking (see page 153) o 

Soochow is 53 miles from Shanghai, on the Shanghai- 
Nanking Railwa}^ Fare $2.80. Can also be reached by 
houseboat from Shanghai or Hangchow. A treaty port 
opened in 1896. Population over 500,000. Several com- 
fortable hotels for foreigners are maintained here under 
Chinese management. Chinese and Japanese post ofHces. 
Carriages and ricshas are to be had at the station, but neither 
can be used in the walled city because of the narrow streets 
and the many arched bridges. Donkeys are offered at $1 a 
day or 20 cents an hour. The new rattan chairs are ever}^- 
where available now and may be had for a sniall sum for 
each section of the road traveled. They afford a very com- 
fortable and pleasant way to get about. 



144 HANDBOOK i?OR CHINA 

Th{^ many canals which intersect the rich and beautiful 
city of Soochvow have given it the name of '*The Venice of 
the Far East," v/hile the every high standing which its scholars 
liave ahvays enjoyed has made it the Athens of China. It is 
-one of the oldest and most famous cities of China and the 
admiration of the Chinese for the place is expressed in the 
familiar quotation ''Heaven above, and below Hangchow and 
Soochow.'* The history of the city covers more than 2000 
years. In about 525 B. C only 250 years after Rome was 
founded, Prince Ho Lu, of the Kingdom of Wu, ordered his 
prime minister to build a city for him to serve as his capital. 
The instructions were to build *'a large ^id influential city 
where his subjects could dwell in time of danger and v^^here 
his government stores could be protected from the enemies 
that constantly menaced his kingdom." The official decided 
on ambitious plans. The city was to have eight vv^ater gates, 
like heaven, and be square like the earth. The total length 
of the outer walls aggregated 47 li, about 15 miles. Inside 
were two inner enclosures, the larger one enclosing the For- 
bidden City, for the palaces and yaniens, and the smaller 
enclosure for the personal use of the prime minister. 

The city became the capital of the kingdom and grew 
in importance, but about 591 A. D. a new city was built 
for the reason that the old one was full of robbers, rebels and 
thieves, whose organization was so strong that it was impossi- 
l>Ie to drive them out. The walls of the new city were of 
wood, and the people lived within these insecure enclosures 
only a short timie, moving back to the old city during the 
lirst years of the Tang reign. In 876, a band of robbers 
captured the city and again a new enclosure was built for the 
protection of the people. The new city took a rough wedge 
shape. Within the walls were many canals and 300 streets, 
The walls thus constructed were allowed to fall into disrepair 
and were restored several tim.es. 

In the 14th century, following the fall of the Mongol 
dynasty and while the Mings w^ere struggling to subdue the 
whole country, Chang Shin Cheng attempted to re-establish 
the Kingdom of Wu, with himself as Emperor and Soochow 



146 HANDBOOK ^OR CHINA 

is said to have been built in 1131 A. D. The Taipings, wiio 
did not harm the pagoda, destroyed the temple which formerly 
stood in front of it, so that it is possible now to get a complete 
view of the famous structure. It consists of nine stories,. 
250 feet high and is a marvel of proportion. Sixty 
feet in diameter at the base, it is 45 feet at the top, each 
story being proportionately shorter, each balcony nar- 
rower, each door and windov/ smaller. The whole is of 
massive construction and carries well its seven hundred years. 
From the upper stories an excellent view of the beautiful 
surrounding country can be obtained. In the vicinity are 
many small hills and lakes, the latter connected with each 
other by innumerable small canals. To the east is a level plain 
broken only by a number of groves planted about small villages. 
To the west lies the Great Lake or Ta Hu, celebrated by 
many Chinese poets for the beauty of its surroundings, and 
a famous resort for Shanghai houseboat parties. It is 40 
by 50 miles in extent, dotted by many small islands which con- 
tain interesting temples and monasteries. Five million people 
live within the radius covered by the eye from the top bal- 
conies of the pagoda. From few other places can one view 
the habitations of so many of his fellow men. The old priest 
who opens the entrance to the pagoda for visitors expects 
a small tip, and the boy who carries a light through the one 
dark passage does so in the hope of receiving a few coppers. 

The Tiger Hill Pagoda, the /'leaning tower" of Soochow,. 
was first built in 601 A. D., burned down in 1428 and the pre- 
sent structure was built ten years later. The Twin Pagodas^ 
known also as the Two Pen Pagodas, stand near the Exami- 
nation Halls, and to their good influence is attributed much of 
the fame which has come to Soochow through her scholars. 
Near these is the Ink Pagoda. "A scholar built the Two Pen, 
Pagodas to attract the good luck required to insure good 
scholarship to the town; but as most of the candidates kept 
on failing afterwards, he consulted the geomancers, and they 
showed hov/ absurd it was to provide two pens but no ink. 
The omission rectified, the candidates passed." Soochow 
University, an American institution, is located near the Ink 



SOOCHOVV 147 

Pagoda. Soochow, through many centuries, has sent more 
honors men to the great Metropolitan Examinations at Peking 
than can be claimed by any other city and it rivals Hangchow 
in the space it occupies in the literature of China. The 
History of Soochow, a compilation begun looo years ago by 
one of the city's most famous men, has grown to 150 volumes, 
through the contributions of generations of scholars. 

The City Temple is one of the show places of Soochow, 
though infested by beggars, who annoy the foreign visitor. 
Within its enclosure are fourteen separate temples, containing 
more than two hundred principal images. Within the city 
A-alls there are several hundred temples, nunneries and 
monasteries. There is one large Confucian temple at which 
the provincial officials formerly worshiped and one smaller 
one where the district magistrate worshiped before going 
over to the large one. Near the large temple, to the east and 
south, are a normal school, a college, a middle school and an 
industrial school, all run and financed by the government. 
The governor's yamen is just to the north of the temple and 
to the west are three other interesting places, the Provincial 
Mint, the Horticultural Garden and the Beamless Temple. 
This famous building is of two stories built about 1572 A. D. 
and without any timber at all. There is no wood in any 
part of the building, the roof being supported by arches made 
of specially constructed brick. The roof is arched and 
covered with beautiful colored tiles. 

The Temple of Scrolls is full of scrolls of all kinds and a 
walk through it gives one some idea of the various tendencies 
of Chinese art to run to commercialism. .It is said that only 
countrymen go there to buy scrolls, as the best artists do their 
work upon order or exhibit it in private shops. On the east 
side of this large temple there is a smaller one that has very 
intr resting representations of the lower regions with its varied 
tortures and also of saints seated upon clouds in heaven. 
These are in different wings of the temple. 

To the south of the customs house (which is at the oppo- 
site end of the horse roid from the railway station and the 
southeast corner of the city) is a magnificent bridge called the 



148 HANDBOOK ^OR CHINA 

Precious Girdle Bridge. It consists of 53 arches and is built 
entirely of granite. This and many other attractive bridges 
in the vicinity are well worth the time taken to see them. 
The bridges of Soochow are famous all over China and the 
average Chinese finds it difficult to believe that anyone can 
teach the Soochow people anything about bridge building. 

The gardens of Soochow could afford an interesting 
day's outing in themselves. There are several inside the 
city, but the two largest are the Loen Yoen and the Si Yoen 
(yoen means garden). One of these was formerly owned by 
a high Manchu official. The property was siezed by the 
Republican governm.ent. They are both located outside of the 
Northwest gate (Tsaung Mung) of the city and may be 
reached by carriage from the railway station. A small 
entrance fee is charged and one may wander at leisure through 
the many walks and rockeries. 

To the west of the city are a number of hills a few hours 
journey by boat from the busy thoroughfares of the city. 
There one may tramp through many shaded spots rich in 
historic lore. An excellent little booklet, ''The Hills About 
Soochow,''"^ by Dr. J. B. Fearn, gives interesting information 
about the hills. They afford good climbs and excellent views. 
The fields of yellow rape and patches of purple clover in the 
early spring are well worth seeing. 

Soochow has regained much of what it lost because of 
the Taiping rebellion and is again the rich and cultured city 
of old, with a very large class of idle rich. In addition to its 
fame as the birthplace of many scholars, Soochow is also 
widely knov/n in China as the birthplace of the most famous 
sing-song girls. Soochow women are noted for their beauty 
and the pleasing softness of their dialect and fashionable 
women from, other parts of China ape the Soochow dialect. 
The place lias not held its own, commercially, with other cities 
of the neighborhood, but remains the silk metropolis of the 
Orient, maintaining 7000 looms for the production of brocades. 

''The silken goods which form the staple export are the 



*Sold by the North China Daily News, Shanghai. 



wusiH 149 

glory of the place, and the Imperial household formerly got 
its chief supplies hence. It is strange to see the primitive 
surroundings, a little but with an earthen floor in whi.h they 
are produced, with their exquisite designs and perfect work- 
manship. In these uncleanly surroundings a basin of water 
stands for the weaver to keep his hands unsoiled. He can 
make four or five feet daily, a yard wide, thus earning 300 
'Or 375 cash and producing material worth nearly two shillings 
a foot. It is the best paid occupation in the city.'' 

The foreign settlement of Soochow has been built up 
outside the city walls, near the Customs house, and very little 
has been done in developing it. Hov/ever the streets are wide, 
paved, and well cared for. 

To the west lies the Great Lake, one of the most beautful 
places in China. I has been the scene of outings by residents 
■of Soochow for the past 2000 years and should be included 
in any houseboat trip. It can be made a part of the itinerary 
from Shanghai by houseboat, or local houseboats may be hired 
in Soochow. This is only one of the many lakes about the 
city. 

Five American missions are represented in Soochow, vis: 
Southern Methodist, Northern Presbyterian, Southern Presby- 
terian, Southern Baptist and Protestant Episcopal. Probably 
the most important missionary enterprise is Soochow Univer- 
sity, maintained by the Southern Methodists. This mission 
also has a large girls' school. The university is a thriving 
institution with a large foreign faculty and over 350 students. 
There are a number of mission hospitals, schools, etc. and a 
iarge Roman Catholic mission. 

Wusih. — To the northwest of Soochow on the Shanghai- 
Nanking Railway is Wusih, a progressive walled city with 
a population of about 300,000. Formerly a place of small 
importance, Wusih is growing rapidly now and next to 
Shanghai is the most important industrial city in the province. 
It has supplanted Soochow as a transfer point for goods 
destined for Shanghai and with the introduction of modern 
methods is also supplanting that city as a silk center. 
Evidence of the city's industrial importance is offered those 



150 HANDBOOK ^OR CHINA 

who do not stop to visit the place for many tall factor)?- 
chimneys may be seen from the train. 

The industrial development has been carried outby Chinese 
themselves, but with foreign machinery and a certain amount. 
of expert foreign assistance. Among the enterprises of 
Wusili are: fourteen modern steam filatures, eleven modern 
rice mills, five large flour mills, three cotton mills, two 
cotton seed and bean oil mills. A great mau}^ other enterprises^ 
of this nature are e-ither under construction or are 
being- promoted. The surrounding country is famous for the 
production of silk and Wusih is one of the most important 
centers for the marketing of cocoons. 

Though the building of the railway has made great 
changes in the transportation of goods, Wusih remains a very 
important boat town and most of the boatmen between 
Shanghai and Nanking call it their home. The city is. 
intersected hy many canals, which are wide and filled with 
clear water, in contrast to the muddy streams seen elsewhere. 
In common with many other Chinese cities it is sometimes 
known as ''The Venice of China." The canals cover 150 miles- 
in the city and surrounding vicinity. 

The people of Wusih are very progressive and there are 
many evidences of municipal enterprises. A line paved road 
leads from the station to the city gate and many good ricsha 
roads have been built into the factory districts. One of the 
remarkable institutions of the place is a public library of 
170, coo volumes, all of which have been collected since the 
Revolution. 

An interesting and curious industry of the district Is the 
manufacture of clay images, which are well-modeled and 
artistically decorated. The images are small and represent 
everything under the sun from the human figure to beasts and 
birds. They are to be found in Chinese homes ali over the 
land. 

An hour distant by boat is the Weidzien spring, with a hill 
near by on which are located temples, a monastery and a great 
number of ancestral halls. All are kept in good repair, are 
clean and surrounded by fine gardens and courts. From this 



CHINKIANG 151 

j)lace there is a good view of the Great Lake. The approach 
to the spring is through a canal lined by fine trees. On the 
left is to be seen a regular mound 60 to 70 feet high, surmount- 
ed by a ruined, ivy-covered pagoda. 

Chinkiang. — Located 112 miles from Shanghai, Chin- 
kiang is at the intersection of the Yangtsze and the Grand 
Canal, and is one of the most important stations on the 
Shanghai-Nanking Railway. Fare from Shanghai $6.40. 
Chinese and Japanese post-offices. The town is about 20CO 
years old and has borne its present name for half that time. 
It is a favorite resort of hunters, who come from Shanghai by 
the railway and find pheasants and other small game in the 
vicinity. The population is given as 182,000. The port was 
opened to foreign trade in 1861. ''Chinkiang is undoubtedly 
the prettiest place on the river below Hankow. The Silver 
Island Pass with its narrow and difficult channel, its great 
rush of waters, its overhanging cliffs and bristling forts is 
justly called the 'Gate of the Yangtsze.' Silver Island itself, 
with its ancient temples, its fine trees and magnificent view, 
is one of the most attractive spots in China. From the surii- 
mit of the hill a good idea of the neighborhood can be gained. 
On the north a low-lying plain interspersed v^^ith trees stretches 
to the horizon, and on a clear day the pagoda of Yangchow 
(a city associated with the name of I\Iarco Polo) may be 
discerned. To the eastward lies a labyrinth of islands and 
waterways, all of which appertain to the Yangtsze, the main 
stream of which bends to the southeast, passing the entrance 
to the southern portion of the Grand Canal, at Tant'u. On 
the right bank classical Kanlushan, with its newly restored 
temple and the remains of its famous iron pagoda, juts sharply 
up. The native city and foreign settlement, overshadowed 
by hilh, line the water's edge, and Golden Island with its 
temples and pagodas forms a weird background to the harbor 
jand shipping.''* 

Golden Mountain, or Golden Island, is a place of more 
than usual fame, partly because of the visits paid to it by the 



*0. G. Keadj^ in "Willi Beat and Gun in the \angtsze \'a]]ey." 



152 HANDBOOK l^OR CHINA 

renowned emperors, Kang Hsi and Ch'ien Lung, and equally 
because of the many beautiful spots, peaks^ rocks and grottoes^ 
each one connected with some legend dear to the Chinese. 
Emperor Kang Hsi visited the place in 1703 and gave names 
to a number of points on the hill. About fifty years later 
the Eniperor Ch*ien Lung came, occupying a temporary palace^ 
which had been erected for him on the summit. Here his 
prolific poetic muse was inspired and he wrote a number of 
poems in praise of the beauty of the place. On five subse- 
quent visits he added a great many more poems, thus setting 
the style for all the literati who followed him, with the result 
that Golden Mountain could be hidden under the reams of 
paper inscribed with poems in its praise. The Buddhist 
temple on the hill was first erected in" the sixth century, was 
restored in 1021 and endowed by the court. 

According to Marco Polo Chinkiang was at one time a 
stronghold of Nestorianism. He says : **The Grand Khan, in 
1278, sent there one of his barons, Marsarghis, who was a 
Nestorian Christian, to be governor of this city for three 
years. And this is what he did: in the three years of his 
residence there he built two Christian churches. And they 
have remained since then, for before were none.*' 

The city is a center for the sale of what is known locally 
as ''Yangtsze mud ware'* which is made at Yangchow. 
Many kinds of small objects, especially trays and boxes, are 
iLade of wood and covered with mud and paPier mache 
which, when baked, presents a hard, glossy, blaci< surface, a 
rather crude imitation of black lacquer, or inlaid ebony. 
Mother-of-pearl ornaments are laid in the mud, forming some 
very handsome designs. The ware is serviceable and will 
last a surprisingly long time, even when in daily use. It is 
very cheap and not more than a few dollars should be paid 
for the most elaborate piece. ''^- 

The British fleet anchored off Chinkiang in 1842, after 
silencing the forts, but since that time the channel of the river 
has changed so much that th^ spot on which the fleet anchored 
is now covered with villages. 

Among the missionary enterprises at Chinkiang are the- 



NANKING 153 

China Inland Mission Hospital, Methodist Hospital for 
Women, Boarding School for Boys (Southern Presbyterian) 
and Girls' Boarding School (Methodist Episcopal). American 
Baptists are also at work in this center. 

Fifteen miles to the north of Chinkiang, on the banks of 
the Grand Canal, is Yangchow, famous for the wealth of its 
men and the beauty of its women. It is the city where 
Marco Polo served as governor for three years. A daily 
launch service connects Chinkiang with Yangchow. 

Nanking.— Capital of Kiangsu province, on the south bank 
of the Yangtsze River, 193 miles from Shanghai. May be 
reached by train on the Shanghai-Nanking Railway, or by 
river steamer. Railway fare $8.40. Steamer fare $15« 
Hotel, Bridge, near tht railway station and steamer landings. 
Population, about 400,000, of this number 407 are Europeans 
and Americans. The southern terminus of the Tientsin- 
Pukow Railway is at Pukov/, across the river from Nanking, 
a launch service connecting the two places. Chinese and 
Japanese post-offices. Automobiles, carriages and ricshas are 
available. Automobiles $3 per hour, carriages K for half day, 
ricshas about 20 cents an hour. 

Nanking (southern capital) owes its name to the fact 
that it has served several times as the capital of the country. 
The last emperors of China to reside in Nanking were the 
early Mings, but the third Ming emperor, Yung Lo, deserted 
it for Peking, as a means of keeping more secure control over 
the north, threatened as it was by the Tartar and Mongol 
tribes. Previously Nanking had been the seat of a kingdom 
seven times. It was the residence of the king of Wu and 
later, for 120 years, the capital of Eastern Chinai. For 800 
years before the Ming dynasty, it was a city of great political 
importance, though not the capital of the country. As 
Nanking, the city dates only from the beginning of the Ming 
dynasty, but the city which was built as the capital of this 
dynasty occupied the site of other cities which have figured 
in the history of China for more than two thousand years' 
under different names. The ancient city was known as 
Kin-ling, but several centuries before Christ the name was 



154 



HANDBOOK FOR CHINA 



changed to Tan-yang, and later to Kiang-nan and Sheng 
Chow. / 

It has been a walled city since the 5th or 6th century, the 
present walls being built about 500 years ago. Surrounded 
by hills and facing the Yangtsze river, Nanking is very 
advantageously situated for defense and has been the vantage 
point striven for by many of the leaders of China's numerous 
rebellions. Probably a deciding reason why the great pirate 
Koxinga failed to unseat the Manchus and restore the Ming 
dynasty to the throne of China was because he failed to 
capture Nanking. He subjected it to a twenty days' siege in 
1657, but on the twentieth night those in the city made a 
savage sortie, killing several thousands of the pirates' re- 
tainers and forcing the others to retire. The Taipings captured 
the place and held it against a siege for eleven years (1853- 
1864), it being the Taiping capital during that period. ]\Iore 
recently the Republicans captured it (1911) and made it the 
capital of their provisional government. It was here that Dr. 
Sun Yat Sen took his. oath of office as President of the 
Republic of China, on January 1, 1912, and here that he 
remained until he resigned in favor of Yuan Shih K'ai. 

The present walls of Nanking are among the finest in 
China, being 40 to 60 feet high, 22 miles long, and 20 
to 40 feet in thickness. They enclose a vast area, a large part 
of which is now in vacant land, grown up with bamboo 
groves or utilized by farmers. A number of stone bridges 
crossing streams in the middle of fields, and unused for hun- 
dreds of years, indicate the location of streets which existed 
at a time when Nanking was m.any times its present size. 
The population inside the wall once numbered a million. During 
the occupation of the Taipings, practically all of the monu- 
mental v/orks of an older period were destroyed, but enough 
remain to indicate the glories of Nanking at its prime.\ 

Outside the South gate of the city lies the only remaining 
remnant of the great Porcelain Pagoda of Nanking. It is the 
bronze cupola of the pagoda, now overturned, forming a 
basin. That v/orld-famous pagoda, the most beautiful in 
Chinn, was destroyed by the Taipings. It was built in the 



NANKING ' 155 

-early part of the fifteenth century by the Emperor Yung-Lo 
^o commemorate the virtues of his mother and was encased in 
'the finest white glazed brick, while overhanging eaves were 
covered with green tiles and more than 100 bells hung from 
"the ornamented cornices. A few of the tiles from this pagoda 
are treasured by the IMetropolitan Museum of Art in New 
York,^^ 

A good macadam road leads from the suburb of Hsia 
Kwan to the southern part of the city, seven miles distant 
and several miles farther to the old Ming tombs. A 
few minutes after leaving, the suburb on this drive, one 
passes through the principal gate in the walled city ; on the 
left is lyion Hill fort. There are a few scattered houses and 
3. few small groups of residences, and only an occasional ruin 
indicates that it was ever more populous than at present. 
Indeed, in places it is difficult for one to believe that he is 
not in the open country, but in a city^ which, in its zenith, 
was second to none. The circumference and solidity of the 
Nanking walls indicate the importance of the position it 
formerly held. After a drive of about four miles through 
this part of the city, one reaches the Drum tower. 

This massive structure is approximately the geographical 
center of the city and was first erected in 1092 a.d. just 430 
years before the discovery of America. The present structure 
was built by' Hungv/u of the Ming Dynasty in preparation 
for a battle against a force of rebels. He beat the large 
<irum, which could be heard at a great distance, and 

*I^ongfello\v celebrated this wonderful pagoda in his i"oem "Keraraos," 
**And yonder by Nanking, behold 
The tower of porcelain, strange and old. 
Uplifting to the astonishea* skies 
Its ninefold painted balconies, 
With balustrade of twining leaves, 
And roofs of tile beneath whose eaves 
Hang porcelain bells that all the time 
Ring with a soft melodious chime: 
While the whole fabric is ablaze 
With varied tints all fused in one 
Great mass of color like a maze 
Of flowers illumined by the sun.** 



156 ' HANDBOOK ?0R CHINA 

served as a sign for urging his soldiers to march against the 
enemy. It was also used as a place for the study of geomantic 
influences. The earliest European visitors to China made 
note of this tower. Marco Polo spoke of it in 1274. So did 
Xavier in 1552 and Ricci in 1581 though Xavier never visited 
it. Fifty years ago, Mr. Duncan, the pioneer Protestant mis- 
sionary to Nanking, took up his residence within the tower 
because there was '*no room for him elsewhere." 

Three roads branch off from the Drum Tower. Turning 
to the right the gate of the Japanese Consulate is seen, and 
beyond that the campus of the University of Nanking, which 
stretches beside the road for more than half a mile. Farther 
on other mission buildings are seen, and within a radius of 
a mile are to be found the compounds of the Methodist, 
Presbyterian, Quaker and Catholic missions. Twisting 
roads, at some places very narrow, bring the visitor to the 
southern portion of the city, where resides the bulk of the 
population. 

Turning to the left at the Drum Tower and descending 
the hill, Pe-chi-ko, or North Star hill, a low hill surmounted 
Jby a Taoist temple, is' seem at the left. This hill was the post 
of command of the Manchu forces during the siege of 1911. 
Farther on the road passes the Govermment Higher Norma,l 
College, which has probably the best reputation of any school 
of its kind in the country. The drill grounds and military 
barracks are still farther east. 

By any one of a number of routes the visitor may be 
taken through the Tartar City, now a scene of desolation, 
but containing an interesting museum, out of the East Gate 
of the city and across the plain to the famous tomb of the 
first Ming emperor. 

Here in the side of a mountain the Emperor was buried, 
in I3g8, and around the site of the tomb are grouped walls 
and buildings which for more than five hundred years have 
stood witness to the grandeur of the beginnings of the last 
purely native dynasty to rule over China. Leading to the- 
tomb itself is a long avenue, bordered by huge stone figure*. 
of animals and men, the whole being similar to the later 



NANKING 157 

Ming tombs near Peking, and the various burial places of 
the Manchu rulers. Indeed, this was the model of imperial 
burial places followed thereafter for all the dead Emperors^ 
of China. It is one of the thousand illustrations which go 
to prove that the Manchus brought to China nothing superior 
to that which they found there. The tomb suffered from the- 
visits of the Taipings and the buildings are roofless.- 
Dr. Sun Yat-sen visited these tombs on the establishment 
of the Republic of China and in a solemn ceremony 
informed the spirit of the first Ming Emperor of the overthrow: 
of the Manchus. This is also the burial place of Empress 
Hsiao and Prince Piao, Emperor Hung Wu*s consort and 
son, both of whom died before him. Hung Wu came of a 
humble family, living at Feng Yang Hsien, about 100 miles to 
the north of Nanking, and served there as a servant in a 
Buddhist temple. After his accession to power, one of his 
first acts was to confer the posthumous titles of emperor, king 
and queen, on his father, grandfather, great grandfather, 
uncles, mother, aunts, etc. and to surround their graves with- 
monuments befitting their rank. Many other interesting ruins 
in or near the city include what remains of Hung Wu's palace 
which was occupied by the Mings for fifty years. It is inside 
the city walls and can be reached by the road leading east 
from the Tuchun's Yamen. 

Other spots which may be of interest to the visitor are 
the Mint, one of the largest in the world; the beautiful 
Lotus Lake; and various temples. In a small temple not far 
from the Drum Tower is one of the largest bells in. 
existence, said to owe its peculiar tone to the fact that the 
daughters of the maker threw themselves into the metal 
while still molten. Effigies of the daughters are preserved ta 
testify to the authenticity of the story which is told of several- 
other bells in China. 

The Examination Hall, containing cells for 20,000 stu- 
dents, was built during the Ming dynasty and enlarged 
later. It is now unused and is being torn down. Near by 
is an ancient Confucian temple. Outside the South Gate is? 
the Precious-Stone Tea-house, built on a small hill. Accord- 



158 HANBOOK FOR CHINA 

ing to an ancient legend, a priest in the reign of Wu Ti, of 
the Liang dynasty, chanted the sutras of Buddha and showers 
of flowers come down from heaven and turned into colored 
•stones. The soil of the hill is full of gaily colored pebbles 
which are disclosed ever}^ time a heavy rain falls and are sold 
.at the tea-house. From the top of the hill a good view may 
;be obtained. 

Although a city of great commercial importance in 
.ancient times, Nanking has been outstripped by its rivals but 
is now entering on a new period of development. 

Nanking was made an open port for foreign trade by the 
French treaty of 1858, but it was not formally opened until 
1899. Chinese officials have tried for many years to maintain 
the contention that the open port is confined to Hsia Kwan, 
but unsuccessfully. In 1908 the Shanghai-Nanking Railway 
was completed, while the Tientsin- Pukow Railway was 
opened in 1912. Pukow is on the opposite bank of the 
river from Nanking. The railway station and steamer land- 
ing are in Hsia Kwan. a suburb of Nanking, north of the city 
walls. During the late years of the Manchn regime progres- 
sive viceroys made many improvements in Nanking, including 
the building of good roads, so that it is possible to reach 
almost any point in a carriage, a rare privilege in a Chinese 
city. A city railway runs from Hsia Kwan to the southern 
end of the walled city, making connections with the Shanghai- 
Nanking trains. 

Nanking is a favorite place with hunters, who find fox, 
wolf, rabbit, pheasant, pigeon, wild duck and wild pig in the 
vicinity. 

Nanking was an early field for the work of foreign 
missionaries and is to-day one of the most important 
missionary centers in the country. Probably the most 
noteworthy achievement of missionary work in Nanking has 
been the establishment of several union enterprises. The 
University of Nanking is under the joint management of 
four different denominations. The Union Bible School is 
conducted by five denominations and students attend from a 
larger number of communions. The Union Bible School for 



NANTUNGCHOW 159' 

bible women is supported by a number of different societies 
having work in the Yangtsze Valley and a training school 
for nurses is supported by the different societies working 
in Nanking. Besides three hospitals for Chinese the mis- 
sionary community maintains a hospital for foreigners only. 

Kiangsu Province. — The province of Kiangsu has an area 
of 38.600 square miles and a population of 14 m.illions. *'Its 
name is derived from the two cities Kiangning (Nanking) 
and Soochow." With the exception of a few hills which were 
once islands oft* the shore of the mainland, almost the whole 
of the province consists of flat and very fertile land, formed 
of the sediment deposited by the Yangtsze and the Yellow 
Rivers, and is only a few feet above the sea level. In addition 
to the many natural waterways which traverse the province, 
there are hundreds of canals, marking the boundaries of almost 
every large land holding. The land is so intensely cultivated, 
especially in the southern part of the province, that the whole 
country has the appearance of a garden and is particularly 
beautiful during the growing season. The important cities 
are Shanghai, Nanking, Soochow, Chinkiang and VVusih. 
Nanking and Soochow have for centuries been looked upon as 
among the most cultured cities in the country, while Shanghai 
holds first place in commerce. No other province has such a 
large population of foreigners and probably in no other are 
there so many Chinese v/ho have been educated abroad, or are 
graduates of mission schools in China. All of these things 
go to make Kiangsu the most cultured, the wealthiest and 
the most progressive of provinces. 

Nantungchow. — Unlike other cities in China, this place is 
not noted for its ancient monuments but rather for the fact 
that it is the model modern city of China. Nantungchow is 
not a tourist resort and the hurried traveler v/ill find there 
little to interest him but no one who is making a serious study 
of China should fail to visit it. It is about 100 miles from 
Shanghai on the Yangtsze, easily accessible b}' the Yangtsze 
River steamers. The population of the city is 150,000 and 
of the district about 1,500,000. The city is the home of 
Hon. Chang Cliien, formerly Minister of Commerce aiid 



160 HANDBOOK FOR ^ CHINA 

Agriculture, and it is largely due to his efforts that the city 
and district stand out as models for the rest of China. No 
beggars are to be found in the entire district and there is 
none of the poverty which is to be found in all other parts of 
China. The city and district contain fifty miles of modern 
roads, cotton and sericultural experiment stations, modern 
cotton mills, cotton seed oil mill, modern banks, a match 
factory, etc. As an indication of the progress of the place it 
-may be said that Nantungchow has more country motor 
roads than can be found around Shanghai. Those who wish 
to make a study of this progressive section should, if possible, 
secure letters of introduction to Mr. Chang Chien or notify 
the Nantungchow Chamber of Commerce in advance of the 
proposed visit. There are several semi-modern hotels in 
4:he city. 

The Yangtsze River. — No trip to China would be complete 
without a voyage on the Yangtsze, one of the largest rivers 
in the world. Rising on the high plateaux of Tibet, the 
Yangtsze flows into the ocean near Shanghai, 3000 miles irom 
its source. It is navigable for ocean steamers for 600 miles 
and several lines maintain regular sailings from Hankov/ to 
ports all over the world. Hankow is the terminus of the river 
steamers which sail from Shanghai daily. Other lines connect 
;at Hankow for the upper river. The lov/er part of the river 
is broad and the fall is so slight that tides are strong enough 
:to swing vessels anchored at Wuhu, 200 mAiles from the ocean. 
The river drains an area of 650,000 square miles, but of this, 
more than four-fifths is above Hankow, so that for the 60Q 
rmiles between Hankow and the sea the river is vei'y much 
like a great canal. At a comparatively recent geological period 
practically all of the present Yangtsze Valley was under the 
sea, and the land has been built up by the sediment carried by 
that great river. At the present time this amounts to 6428 
rmillion cubic feet a year — enough to deposit a layer a foot 
thick over an area of 23 square miles. The country around 
-the mouth of the river is recently formed, as indicated by the 
jact that Kunshan was formerly on the seacoast. 

The rather drearv fiat country near the mouth of the 



THE YANGTSZE RIVER 161 

Yangtsze soon gives w^ay to wooded hills, v^hlch at Kiukiang 
rise to mountain heights. The land is the most fertile in 
China, and the river is bordered with small farms and villages 
and several important cities. 

The upper 1,600 miles, from Tibet to Sui-fu (Hsii-chou-. 
fu) in south Szechuen, is torrential and is almost unknown. 
From the Tibetan border to Sui-f n it falls at about eight 
feet per mile. It is there known as the Chin-sha Chiang or 
Chin-Ho, the ''Golden" river, and has one big tributary, the 
Ya-lung. At Sui-fu another important tributary, the Min, 
enters. This, being rather more navigable, was formerly 
considered the main stream. From Sui-fu to Ichang, the 
river varies greatly in width, passes through numerous 
gorges and has many dangerous rapids. Two large tributar- 
ies enter it, the Kia-ling and the Kung-tan. The former is 
important a.s being the main stream of the Szechuen plain, 
and at its junction with the Yangtsze there is the important 
treaty port of Chungking. From Ichang, which ov;es its 
importance to its position at the emergence of the river from 
the gorges downward navigation is normal and continues 
thoughout all seasons of the year, whereas between Chung- 
king and Ichang, the great variations in the water level (as 
much as one hundred feet at Chungking has been recorded) 
make that section difficult and dangerous both at low and 
high waters. J 

'Tchang is one thousand miles from the mouth. Fifty 
-miles further down is Shasi, at which point dykes commence 
and are continued, with a few breaks in the hilly parts, down 
to the sea. The annual variation of level in this part 
averages about thirty-five feet. At Yo-chou, a treaty pert 
about two hundred miles below Ichang, a large volume of 
water enters from the Tung-T'ing Lake and its feeders. 
The important city of Changsha is served by this water 
.connection. Next comes Hankow, som.e six hundred miles 
from the mouth, at which place the Han river discharges into 
the Yangtze. From Hankow to the sea, navigation is 
possible at all times of year for small draught steamers and 
in the summer large-ocean going vessels may be seen along 



162 HANDBOOK ^OR CHINA 



it. At Kiukiatig another lake and its feeders pour into the 
river. This is the Po-yang lake, around the shores of which 
most of the population of Kiangsi dwells." * 

Important points on the L,ow er Yangtsze are : — 

Miles From Miles from. 

Shanghai Hankow 

Shanghai (seepage 103) 600 

112 Chinkiang (seepage 151) 488 

205 Nanking (see page 153) 395 

255 VVuhu (see page 162) 345 

355 Anking (see page 163) 245 

458 Kiukiang (see page 165) 142 

600 Hankow (see page 171) 

For a description of the famous Yangtsze Gorges trip 
see page 180. 

Wiiht!.— On the south bank of the Yangtsze, about 50 
miles from Nanking, is Wuhu, a treaty port opened in 1877. 
It has a population of 200,000, Rice is grown in great quantity 
near \A'uhu, which is the Yangtsze valley emporium for that 
grain. 

One of the important industries of Wuhu is lumber. 
Here the great Yangtsze timber rafts are broken up and 
smaller ones formed to be sent into creeks and estuaries. 
The foreshore of the city is usually lined with Vv/ood and 
timber rafts. Figures for 1919 show^ total imports and 
exports of all commodities amounted to Tls. 66,000,000. The 
principal export items were: rice, 534^000 tons; iron ore,. 
138,000 tons and 80 million eggs. As Wuhu is at low water 
the head of navigation for deep draught steamers, its com- 
mercial importance will doubtless grow. 

Among several interesting temples in the city is one built 
in memory of Li Tai-po, the popular Chinese poet, who 
flourished in the eighth century. For a long time his great 
talent w^as unappreciated for the poet was drunk so often- 
that no one dared present him to the Emperor. At length he 
agreed to reform, was received by the Emperor and prospered. 
in the receipt of royal favor. But one night v/hile crossing. 



•Encyclopaedia Sinica. 



ANKING 163 

the Yangtsze near Wuhu, after a rather convivial dinner, he 
attempted to embrace the reflection of the moon which he 
saw in the water, fell overboard and was drowned. 

The Roman Catholic church is a conspicuous object 
from the river. Missions : American Episcopal, Methodist, 
^Christian, Missionary Alliance, and China Inland. 

About midway between Wuhu and Anking, 25 miles to 
the south, the passenger on a Yangtsze river boat can see the 
Nine Lotus Flower Mountain made up of a number of sharp 
and rugged peaks. This mountain is one of the most famous 
places in this part of China and on it are located many 
temples of more than usual fame, as well as the burial places 
of some of the greatest saints, both real and imaginary, of 
past ages. Each autum.n the mountain is visited by thousands 
of pilgrims who come for hundreds of miles to pay their 
devotions. 

Anking.* — On the Yangtsze River, 150 miles from Nan- 
king and 355 miles from Shanghai, is Anking, the capital of 
Anhui province. It has a population of less than 100,000, 
being one of the smallest and least im.portant of China's 
provincial capitals. With the exception of one or two 
buildings and the walls, the city was completely destroyed by 
the Taipings and has been rebuilt since that time. Some of 
the Taiping embankments remain in the vicinity. The Great 
Pagoda, outside the Eastern gate, is the finest in the Yangtsze 
Valley, and in the fanciful ideas of the Chinese, serves as a 
mast to the city, which is thought of as a boat. To heighten 
the illusion, two large anchors are fixed in the walls. The 
pagoda is seven stories high and on each tier are hung many 
small bells which tinkle in the wind. In conformity with its 
charactt. -,, a mast, it is reputed to b3 elastic and to sway 
in the wind. For a similar reason, there is a popular local 
superstition against the appointment of men with the names 
of Peng, "sail," or Chiang, "oar," to important local offices 
as it is believed that if this were done the city would float 
down the river. 



•Sometimes spelled Nganking. 



164 HANDBOOK ^OR CHINA 

Anking is a center for the manufacture of Indian ink. Oil 
lamps are lighted in closed rooms and the soot which collects 
on walls and ceiling is removed and compressed into cakes of 
ink. The city formerly enjoyed more political importance 
than at present, as it was once the capital of the ancient 
kingdom of Wan. _ ^ 

Missions : American Episcopal, China Inland. 

Anhui"^ Province. — The area of the province of Anhui 
is 54,810 square miles and its population is 23 millions. The 
Yangtsze divides the province, one-third being south and two 
thirds of the area north of that river. The southern part is 
mountainous, fertile, has many fine forests and abounds in 
beautiful scenery, while the northern part is a plain, subject 
to drouth and flood and is practically deforested. The soil 
in this part of the province has been greatly impoverished 
by the deposits of sand from floods of the Yellow River, 
made before that erratic stream adopted its present northern 
course. It is one of the famine regions of China and was the 
scene of a disastrous famine in 1911-12. At that time over 
$1,000,000 was spent in relief, most of the work being done 
by missionaries, who used the labor of the famine sufferers 
in the construction of embankments and ditches built to pre- 
vent future disasters of the kind. For several years the 
American Red Cross Society has been making surveys of the 
northern part of Anhui and the adjoining northern part of 
Kiangsu, preparatory to planning permanent flood-preventive 
work. That part of Anhui province which lies south of the 
Yangtsze is prosperous. There are a number of lakes in 
Anhui, the largest being the Hongtsze in the northeast and 
the Chao in the center ; all abound in wild fowl, and are the 
winter homes of wild geese. Probably the best hunting 
section is near Taiping. Hw^eichow is a city of the province 
famous for its bankers, who are so w^ealthy and have such a 
monopoly of the business in some districts, that there is a 
popular saying: **It is impossible to do business without a 
Hweichow man." 



■ Sometimes spelled Nganhui. 



kiukianG 165 

KiufelaRg.— This city, ''The City of Nine Rivers," is on 
the Yangtsze, near the outlet of the Po3^ang Ivake, 142 miles 
from Hankow and 458 miles from Shanghai. Steamer fare 
from Shanghai $35, return $55. Population about 70,000. 
River steamers usually stop long enough at Kiukiang to allow 
;a trip through the Chinese city. 

Kiukiang has great fame as having been one of the most 
fruitful fields for the propagation of Buddhism when that 
religion was introduced from India. The beautiful Lushan 
mountains (4000 feet high) surrounding the place are covered 
with famous temples and are visited by thousands of pi'grims 
every autumn. Kiukiang was occupied by the Taipings in 
1853 and when again recovered by the Imperialists had been 
almost completely destroyed. Since the opening of the place 
•to foreign trade, it has slov/ly built up, but the present city 
has not regained its old-time im.portance. 

- f^S Opposite the campus of the Am.erican Methodist 
Womf^n's Foreign Missionary Society in Kiukiang is the 
Monastery of Benevolence, a sacred place which was once 
famous as far away as Tibet. More than a thousand 
years ago, an abbot in Kiukiang had a dream in which 
Buddha told him that on a certain day a divinity would 
come down the Yangtsze from Tibet. At the appoint- 
ed time, the abbot and many others were on the bank 
of the river watching, when a stone boat arrived, occupied by 
a majestic being,, who was immediately escorted with great 
■pomp to the shrine appointed for him and Buddhists came from 
far and near to offer their devotions. A life-size image of 
.the divinity was made of iron, in order to perpetuate his good 
influence, and the temple rem.ained the Mecca of thousands 
for several centuries. 

After the Taiping rebellion, the old abbot's successor 
returned to Kiukiang to find his famous temple destroyed and 
no vestige of the iron god, which had brought it so much 
fame and prosperity. Discouraged and despondent he was 
walking across the fields one day, when he stumbled over an 
■object which protruded from the ground. This proved to 
-l)e the iron god, minus an arm, and suffering from other 



165 HANDBOOK J?OR CHINA 

mutilations at the hands of the sacrilegious Taipings. Thess 
defects were soon remedied and the idol restored, with a fresh 
coat of gilding. It may now be seen in the monastery, while 
the stone boat in which the deity^ arrived is in the courtyard. 
The idol is in a glass case in the rear of the grounds. In the 
temple is a bell which is continuously tolled, every stroke 
sending a flash of light into the Buddhist Hades. The pagoda 
near by was constructed by the literati of Kiukiang who had 
for several years failed to pass the official examinations. 
The spirits were so propitiated by the erection of this pagoda 
that thereafter the local scholars were almost uniformly suc- 
cessful. 

Kiukiang is one of the most noted centers in China for 
the sale of both porcelain and silver-v/are. The former is- 
brought to Kiukiang from Ching-teh-chen, where all the im- 
perial pottery was made for centuries, Kiukiang being the port 
from Vvhich it was shipped after inspection by the porcelain 
commissioner who had his residence in this city until the 
revolution of 1911. The silversmiths' work is very interest- 
ing to the tourist not only because of the primitive methods 
employed but also because of the exquisite results attained. 
Much silk is made in and about Kiukiang and on the shelves 
of the crude-appearing shops may be found roll upon roll 
of luxurious brocades, satins and silks of every shade. 

This city boasts of the largest and oldest girls' school in 
Central China — Rulison High School — which was founded 
over forty years ago under the auspices of the Woman's For- 
eign Missionary Society of the Methodist Episcopal Church. 
On the school's alumnae roll appear the names of Doctor Ida 
Kahn and Doctor Mary Stone, whose hospitals are well known 
in Central China. William Nast College is also maintained 
t^t Kiukiang by the American Methodist Episcopal Mission. 
Among the other missions are: American Protestant Epis- 
copal and China Inland. 

Reference for further reading: ''Sacred Places m 
China'' by Carl F. Kupfer, 

Kuling. — This summer resort which each year grows more 
popular with foreigners living in Central China is 15 miles 



RULING 1 67 

^outh of Kiukiang in the Lu Shan at an altitude of 3500 fee 
^bove sea level. The climate here is temperate, rarely falling 
"t)elow 15*^ in winter while the mean maximum of the summer 
is about 75^. During the summer season v/hen hundreds of 
■visitors come to Kuling from all parts of the Yangtsze valley, 
special arrangements are made for transportation from Kiu- 
3ciang. Motoi cars, carriages and chairs have been used with 
■varying success. Information as to the best means of trans- 
iportation available at the time of one's visit can always he 
^obtained at Kiukiang. If possible it is better to notify the 
Manager's Assistant at Kiukiang several days before arrival, 
giving information as to the number in the party and amount 
of baggage. Letters should be addressed, "Rest Hou^e, 
Kiukiang.'* 

The estate at Killing is situated in one of the finest 
■valleys of the Lu Shan and has been made a very attractive 
X^lace. There are now about 300 summer residences in the 
valley. Tennis courts and a swimming pool have been 
^provided and a hotel built. Protestant missionaries from all 
;parts of China congregate here during the summer and many 
•meetings of educational and religious associations are held. 

Kuling is admirably situated for a summer resort and is 
surrounded by many points of interest, which can be reached 
by short excursions. The White Deer Grotto, one of the 
-most famous of these, has the more or less romantic repu- 
tation of being the oldest university in the world. During 
the ninth century Li Pu, an illustrious poet, made this place 
his study, living in the artificial grotto which he buflt. He 
was always accompanied by a tame white deer and in the 
14th century an image of the deer was carved by one of his 
followers and placed in the grotto. Owing to the fame of Li 
Pu, the grotto became a favorite resort for scholars, es- 
pecially during the troubled period following the end of the 
Tang dynasty, when there were many contenders for the 
throne. A school was opened here at that time and buildings 
erected. In 960, the school was raised to the rank of a 
-university and the attendance greatly increased. The 
university was enlarged during the Sung dynasty by the 



168 HANDBOOK rOR CHINA 

famous Phu Hsi, but of late years the buildings have falleti 
into decay. It is still frequanted by students, who con- 
gregate there in great numbers during the summer. 

Nanchang. — To the south of Poyang Lake, on the Kan 
River, is Nanchang,- with a population estimated at from 
750,000 to 1 million, the capital oi Kiangsi province. It is 
connected by rail with Kiukiang and intending visitors shcvild 
take the rail route though it is possible to go by boat across 
the lake. Nanchang is not a treaty port, has no foreign hotel 
and only about thirty foreign residents. No one should go 
there except with letters of Introduction to local foreigners. 
The secretary of the Y. M. C. A. can usually make arrange- 
ments for the accomodation of visitors. ^-^ 

Nanchang is unique in that its fine walls, 22 miles in 
circumference, have never been scaled by an enemy during 
the 900 years of its existence. It is one city in Central China 
which the Taipings were unable to take and during the recent 
revolutions it suffered little damage. In the minds of 
Nanchang residents credit for this remarkable record is due 
to the town's great deliied saint, Hsu Chin Yang who at one 
time saved the province from flood by killing a dragon snake 
which was threatening to make the province a part of the 
Yellow Sea. Hsu cast the dragon Into a well and as a result 
he was (A. D. 200) deified by the Taoists and made 
''Universal Lord of Happiness." Many temples in all parts 
of China; are dedicated to him. -^ 

Located 120 miles from Ching Teh Chen, the great pottery 
and porcelain center, it is an important point for the distribu- 
tion of these wares. The local grass cloth is specially famous. 
Other important exports are tea, cotton, hemp, tobacco, paper 
and indigo. The stock of curios and works of art are 
perhaps more numerous than in ir.ost cities because the place 
has never been looted. The city is located on the old 
"Ambassador's Route" which led directly from Canton 
northward through Kwangtung and Kiangsi provinces to 
Kiukiang. It w^as over this route that the McCartney Embassy 
passed in 1793 on its way to Peking (see page 50,) Later, iit ■ 
1816, the Amherst Embassy returned by the same route. '^ 



NANCIIANG 169 

Long and glowing accounts of the journeys through the 
Meiling Pass and down the Kan river to Nanchang and out 
into Poyang Lake are given in the record of these missions. 

Nanchang is- a conservative, proud, and wealthy city. It 
still looks with suspicion upon the innovations brought in by 
the foreigner. Western influence has not yet penetrated the 
city to any noticeable extent. Foreign goods are exceedingly 
scarce and western methods' of doing business have not been 
adopted by the local merchant. A foreigner is unable to 
purchase western made clothing . or other goods in 
the city. He must even send his white collars a hundred 
miles to Kiukiang to be laundered. If he wants a first class 
roast of beef to break the monotonous diet of chicken and 
duck, he must send to the same place for it. China is a 
country of contradictions and conservative Nanchang is 
most progressive along some lines, for there were electric 
lights here some years before this modern innovation was 
seen in Nanking. Compared with other Chinese cities, sani- 
tation is w^ell taken care of. A health department does consi- 
derable in the way of street cleaning and food inspection. 

The first object of interest that one notices on his 
approach to Nanchang is the pagoda of the gilded ball, a 
. ball which is said to be of pure gold One of the unique 
features of interest is the pavilion called Tung Wen Kou, 
built in honor of a twelve year old boy of marvelous ability. 
He was a poet and essayist and possessed a remarkable style 
which has been copied by thousands of scholars. To see 
Nanchang in its entirely and in its natural geographical 
setting, one has only to climb the steps of the Fire Tower. 
Here from a height of nearly three hundred feet one can 
pick out every point of interest that makes the name of Nan- 
chang so famous among Chinese. 

Five Protestant and one Catholic missions are operating 
in the city: the. Episcopal, Methodist, Plymouth Brethren, 
China Inland Mission and the Y.M.C.A., the latter being the 
latest to enter the field. Day and night schools, hospitals, 
social service programs^ etc., are carried on by the missions in 
addition to the regular strictly religious activities. 



170 HANDBOOK FOR CHINA 



Kiati^si Province. — The province of Kiangsi has a:i area 
of 69,480 square miles and a population which is estimated at 
26 millions. One lialf of the province is mountainous and 
hilly while there are a few large tracts of flat land which are 
given over almost entirely to the cultivation^ of rice. 
Tobacco, sugar cane, hemp and lumber are among the less 
important productions of the province. In many places the 
land is so fertile that with favorable seasons four crops a 
year may be gathered. There are extensive orange groves in 
several of the prefectures. Probably the finest tea in the 
world comes from the famous valley ofWuningand Ning- 
chow, most of the production going to Russia, where it 
commands a high price. The mineral resources of the province 
are extensive but, as in other parts of China, are inadequately 
developed. A great deal of the coal used in the great steel 
works of Hanyang comes from the Pinghsiang mines. A 
railway extends due w^est from the mine to connect with the 
proposed Hankow-Canton railway. There are also iron 
mines and a few unimportant washings for gold. The finest 
porcelain in China is manufactured in this province. The 
only forests in the province are in the southeast and 
southwest. Kiangsi is very rich in skins and those found 
on the market are leopard, wolf, tiger^ wild cat, oppossum, 
raccoon, badger, deer, otter and fox. 

Ching-teh-cheD. — A visit to the famous porcelain center 
of Ching-teh-chen from Kmkiang may be added to a Yangtsze 
River trip without a great deal of difficulty. The town 
stands on the northern branch of the Jaochou river, which 
flows into the Po\ang lake. The most convenient route 
is across this lake from Kiukiang, in a junk, or, possibly, with 
a steam launch. Chairs may be engaged at Jaochou for the 
fifty-mile trip. The route follows close to the river bank, 
passing through a hilly, wooded and well- cultivated country. 
It is also possible to make the trip in a shallow-draft river 
boat, wdiich arrangement would add to the pleasures of the 
journey. Travelers, however, should take a Chinese guide 
and servants or arrange to go with some one w^ho knows the 
country. There are only the poorest of native inns. No 



THE WU-IIAN CITIES 171 

<7ne should undertake a journey of this kind without 
llie proper preparations. The town itself is almost entirely 
devoted to porcelain making, in which 100,000 to 200,000 
persons are employed at the 160 furnaces. Its works are not 
mow so important as they were in the days of Marco Polo, 
but the processes are the same, and the visitor will have 
every opportunity to see how the v/orld-famous porcelains 
are produced. Here are the imperial kilns in which 
porcelain for the imperial family was manufactured. This 
is of superior workmanship, only the m.ost skilled workmen 
being employed. The output was supposed to be limited 
to the wants of the Imperial family but many pieces alleged 
•to contain imperfections were sold. 

The Wu-Han Cities.— At the junction of the Han and 
Yangtsze Rivers, 600 miles from the sea, are located the 
three cities of Hankow, Wuchang and Hanyang, commonly 
.grouped under the name of ''The Wu-Han Cities." Fare 
from Shanghai $50.00, from Peking, express train, first class, 
"^73. 50. Of the three cities Hankow is the most important, 
though Wuchang is capital of the province cf Hupeh, and in 
Hanyang are located great steel works and a government 
arsenal and powder works. 

The Chinese city of Hankow and the British, French, 
Russian and Japanese foreign settlements occupy the 
north bank of the Yangtsze, east of the Han. A fine 
Bund fronts the various concessions, extending for two 
miles along the river. Each settlement has its own national 
post office, and, to a certain extent, its own local government. 
The port was opened to foreign trade in 1861, when the site 
of the British concession was marked out. At the same time 
the French and Russian concessions were granted but the 
French did not take possession until 1896. The German 
and Japanese concessions were granted in 1895. In 1920 the 
Chinese government took possession of the German conces- 
sion. The great commercial growth of the port dates from the 
completion of the Peking-Hankow railway. West of the Han 
is Hanyang, and south of the Yangtsze, which is 1300 yards 
wide at this point, is Wuchang. Hankow is connected with 



172 HANDBOOK tOR CHINA 

Peking b}^ the Hankow-Peking railway (76S miles) and ocean 
steamers sail regularly from this port for principal European, 
ports. Hankow has long been the center of the black-tea indus- 
try, chiefly conducted by Russians, while at Hanyang are the 
famous steel works which have been able to deliver pig iron 
in New York in competition with the furnaces at Pittsburg. 
When China's railway system is complete, Wuchang will be 
connected with Canton by rail and the three cities will then 
be at the junction of the biggest railway artery in the country 
(the Peking-Canton railway) and the Yangtsze and Han 
rivers. It has already assumed great commercial importance- 
and is Shanghai's most serious competitor for the trade of 
the Yangtsze valley. 

Wuchang is chiefly famous as the starting point for the 
recent revolution, though the most bloody battles were fought 
outback of the foreign concessions of Hankow. The Chinese 
city of Hankow, with its rich shops and fine guild houses^ 
was almost completely destroyed by fires during the revolu- 
tion. After the revolution it was proposed to rebuild the city 
along modern lines, the most popular building plan being 
modeled after that of Washington, D. C, but at this writing 
the work has not been commenced owing to the financial 
cmbarassment which has hampered the government. 

Hankow was formerly regarded as only a suburb of the 
ancient city of Hanyang, but has outstripped that city, its 
growth being especially rapid since the establishment of the 
foreign concessions. The handsome Bund, begun by the 
British, has been extended by other nationalities until it is 
now more than two miles in length. Chinese are not allowed 
to own property in the foreign settlements w^hich are conse- 
quently less crowded than other settlements of foreigners in 
China. 

A visit to the great steel works in Hanyang should be 
made, it being advisable to secure permission for the visit 
from the head oflice in Shanghai. The plan for the steel 
works originated with Chang Chih-tung who, as viceroy of 
Canton, memorialized the throne on the need of railways 
built with Chinese capital and material. Accordingly he was 



The wu-han citiec. 173 

sent to Hankow where 5 million dollars were spent on the- 
works without much success. The plant represents a strange 
mixture of Chinese progressiveness and superstition for, while 
it contains the latest and best machinery, it was located on 
the direction of geomancers, with the result that expensive 
and unnecessary trans-shipments of coal and ore add to the- 
expenses of operation. The iron ores are mined at Tayeh, 
50 miles southwest,- and the ore is loaded into lighters at a 
place called Wong-shi-kong which can be seen from the river 
steamers. The coke comes from the colliery at Pinghsiang 
more than 300 miles distant. The plant is under contract to 
supply the Japanese governm.ent iron works at Wakamatsu 
with ore of Bessemer grade. Hanyang is also the location of 
a large government arsenal and an extensive plant for mxaking^ 
smokeless powder. 

Several foreign hotels are to be found in Hankov/, but 
travelers usually make arrangements to remain on board 
river steamers which anchor alongside the Bund. 

Wuchang is surrounded by a wall 7 miles in length and 
is cut into two almost equal parts by Serpent Hill. Some years 
ago ''a new road v/as blasted across the ridge for wheeled 
traffic ; but when the Viceroy took up his residence, he suffered 
from an obstinate carbuncle on his neck. The Chinese doctors 
declared it was because this carriage road had cut down into 
the serpent's neck and was hurting his backbone. The 
Viceroy hastily enlisted all available men and had the new 
cut filled in at a cost of 600 taels ; then the serpent let his 
neck heal.'* Since the revolution, however, the dragon has 
lost his power and a tunnel has been made through the hill. 
The principal street of the city, lined by 700 shops, runs north 
of the hill. 

Wuchang, before 300 B. C. was the capital of the King- 
dom of Chu and from 25 to 589 A. D. was the capital of Wu. 

As has been mentioned, it was around the three Wu- 
Han cities that the principal battles of the recent anti-dynastic 
Revolution were fought. On October 9, 1911, the accidental 
explosion of a bomb at 14 Pao-hsing Li, a street in the 
Russian concession, revealed the headquarters of the local 



174 HANDBOOK ^OR CHINA 

revolutionists. Viceroy Jui Cheng, in Wuchang, was notified 
at once and during that night and the following day in- 
stituted a vigorous search for rebels in Wuchang, a number 
being captured and beheaded. 

On the evening of October 10, the city of W^uchang 
was filled with excited crowds, and a small section of the 
troops mutinied. Others joined them and before dawn they 
had driven the Viceroy, the imperial commanders and other 
officials out of the city. The fig;hting began about a week 
later, the interim being occupied with preparations on both 
sides. The rebels quickly grew in number, thousands 
coming from near W^uchang to enlist under the leadership 
'of General Li Yuan Hung. Peking quickly realized the 
gravity of the situation and hurried troops to Hankow. 

By the latter part of the month, the rebels had moved a 
large part of their forces across the river to Kilometer Ten, 
near Hankow, where they met the imperial forces recently 
arrived from Peking. The actual engagements between 
-organized forces on each side began on October 27, when 500 
imperial troops opened fire on a village near Kilometer Ten, 
where a number of revolutionists were encamped. W^ith short 
lulls, the fighting continued for a month, the imperialists slow- 
ly driving the revolutionists along the rear of the foreign con- 
cessions to the Chinese city of Hankow. Failing to dislodge 
them from the streets, the city, was fired by the imperial com- 
manders and practically all was burned. The great majority 
of the population of half a million had fled to the country 
before this and few lives were lost in the flames. 

The revolutionists crossed the river and made ineffectual 
attempts to drive out the imperialists, v/hile tliey were suc- 
cessful in preventing an attack on Wuchang. Early in the 
engagement it developed that practically all of the crew and 
officers of the Chinese fleet sympathized with the revolu- 
tionists and later the guns of the vessels were turned on the 
imperialists. 

The local fighting ended on November 27, when the 
imperialists, after a battle of five days, crossed the Han river 
-and took Hanyang, the victory being attributed by many to 



CHANGSHA 175' 

the fact that the revolutionary troops had been bribed. Im- 
mediately thereafter, Nanking was taken by the Republi- 
cans, and an armistice brought an end to the fighting. 

Those who are interested in missionary work should not 
fail to visit the Roman Catholic Orphanage in the British 
concession, Boone University (controlled by the American 
Church Mission) in Wuchang and the Hodge Memorial 
Hospital and the David Hill School for the Blind (both in- 
stitutions being under the control of the English Wesleyan 
Church) in the heart of the Hankow Chinese city; the- 
Griffith John Memorial College, and the headquarters and 
printing works of the national Bible Society of Scotland. 
There are many other missions and missionary institutions. 

Hupeh Province. — This is one of the m^ost densely 
populated provinces of China, having a population of 35- 
millions and'an area of 71,000 square miles. The province is- 
hilly and mountainous, while there are numerous lakes and 
swamps in the two valleys (Yangtsze and Lower Han) into- 
which the province is divided. A very small part of the total 
area is arable land. Timber is scarce except in the hills and' 
mountains of the west, which are 7000 to 10,000 feet high. 
Marco Polo spoke of the thick woods on the plains but these 
forests have disappeared as have so many other forests of 
China. Iron and coal mining are among the principal 
industries of Hupeh, large quantities being mined in the 
Tayeh and Ping-hsiang districts. Agriculturally, the 
province is of minor importance. It produces no ricQ for 
export and the exportation of tea has declined. Outside the 
Wu-Han cities, the principal towns are Ichang and Shasi. 

Changsha. — For about nine months of the year, as long: 
as the river Siang has sufficient water, foreign steamers run 
between Hankow and Changsha. Fare $27. The railway 
from Wuchang to Changsha was opened in 1918 but owing 
to military activities in the province, the service has been 
uncertain. There is no food or bedding aud these the traveler 
must provide for himself. The steamer service is usually 
closed from about the middle of November to the middle of 
February. A foreign- style hotel has recently been opened 



iT6 HANDBOOK FOR CHINA 

-outside the South Gate and it sends a small boat to meet 
steamers. Frequently those who visit the city make the 
round trip on the steamers, which generally go on to 
^Siangtan where an afternoon and night is spent. 

Changsha, the capital of Hunan province, lies more than 
^00 miles southv/est of Hankow on the Siang river. It was 
.one of the last cities in China to hold oul: against the de- 
^mancs of the foreign merchant and missionary for entrance. 
Until the Boxer movement in 1900 less than a score of 
foreigners had ever been able to get inside the city and most 
of these vrere promptly expelled as soon as their presence 
.became known to the authorities. In 1901 the missionaries 
were permitted to come into the city and in 1903 the place 
v/as opened as a treaty port ; but it is still difficult for a 
foreign firm to rent a shop inside the city. Outside the walls 
there is an increasing number of foreign business houses and 
thQ foreign residents num.ber more than 100. 

The city has a population of 400,000 and is enclosed by a 
wall with seven gates. Five new gates, however, have been 
•opened since the revolution, making twelve in all. Accord- 
ing to local tradition the first wall was built by Prince Wu 
Jui about 202 B. C. The only relic of this famous '''King of 
Changsha'' is found in the Chia I temple on Taiping Road in 
-Changsha, v/here a marble bed on which his great adviser, 
Chia I, once slept is. exhibited. In 1637 the city w?s captured 
by rebels and ten years later the walls were entirely rebuilt 
by the Manchus. 

Changsha, like the mountainous province of which it is 
the capital, is even more famous for the men it has produced 
than for any of its manufactured or natural products. Many 
families of the city are able to boast of having in the family 
tree the names of viceroys, governors and famous generals, 
.and the city abounds in temples and arches which honor the 
Jocal heroes. ''The celebrated Dragon Festival, observed 
with the greatest eclat on the fifth day of the fifth moon 
throughout China, owes its origin to the suicide by drowning 
near Changsha of an early statesman and poet, Ch'u Yuan, 
.author of the interesting elegy, the Li Sao." Changsha was 



CHANGSHA 177 

one of the few places which successfully withstood attacks of 
the Taipings, though it was besieged for eighty days. Be- 
cause of this, it earned the title of "The City of the Iron 
-Gates." The Changsha people are justly proud of the walU 
and gates, which have been kept in a good state of repair. 
Visitors are usually shown a few rusty old cannon, mounted 
on the city wall. The weapons lost their usefulness long 
ago, but are still held in great esteem because of the excellent 
rservice they performed in the defense of the city against the 
Taipings. 

The city is on the eastern bank of the Siang, the largest 
■of the three rivers which flow into Tungting I^ake. On the 
western bank of the Siang river is Yolu Shan, a hill said 
iby geomancers to be under the literary star. A university 
which has been in continuous existence for 700 years 
is located on this eminence. On the hill is a stone monu- 
ment recording the mastery of the floods by the great Yii. 
This monument is but a replica of the one on Ke Lo Feng, a 
mountain peak near Hengchou about a hundred miles south 
■of Changsha, which though said to have been placed there by 
an order of Yii Wang in 2205 B. C. is generally believed to 
be a forgery. The characters on this monument, in imitation 
of the old tadpole style of Chinese writing, would appear 
. to indicate a great age. The hill is much frequented by 
. residents and visitors, especially in the v/arm days of 
-spring. 5' 

The streets of Changsha are cleaner and wider than those 
of most other Chinese ckies and it has fine buildings and well- 
laid-out gardens. Many of the shops are magnificent and 
imposing. A distinctively local industry is outline embroid- 
ery in black and white, on silk and satin. Linen, or China 
..grass cloth, is produced in the neighborhood and is exported 
in large quantities. Changsha is also noted for its white 
brass ware and pewter teapots. The bamboo workers of 
Changsha produce beautiful boxes and other articles made of 
this useful plant. At the bazaar on White Horse Lane all 
articles of local manufacture are exhibited for sale. Many 
firecrackers are manufactured in Changsha, Siangtan and 



:17B HANDBOOK FOR CHINA 

neighboring towns, most of those used in the United States 
coming from here. 

A railway line now under foreign management is In 
operation with daily through trains between Changsha and 
the Ping-hsiang collieries. The portion of the line between. 
Changsha and Chuchow will be made a part of the trunk line 
from Canton to Hankow. 

Graduates and students of Yale University have estab- 
lished in Changsha *'Yale in China." The purpose of this- 
institution is to provide for Chinese students in their ownt 
country as thorough an education under Ciiristian influence as 
they could get by going abroad. The immediate aims include 
a college of arts and sciences and a medical school. 

Missions: Wesleyan Methodist; Livjbenzell (with 
school for the blind) and others. 

Hunan Province. — The picturesque mountainous pra- 
viiice of Hunan is sometimes described by the Hunanese 
as containing three-tenths mountain, six-tenths water and 
one-tenth plain, but a more accurate estimate would be six- 
tenths mountain, one-tenth water and three-tenths plain. Its 
area is 8-^,000 square miles and its population 22 millions.. 
One of the most interesting geographical features of the 
province is Tungting Lake which covers about 4200 
square miles in the high water of summer, when the water 
sometimes rises thirty or forty feet above winter leveL 
In the winter it dwindles to a nrumber of mud flats betweeni 
which run the channels of rivers. It abounds in wild fowl. 

In recent years large areas on the north side of the lake 
have been reclaimed for cultivation, most notably the whole 
region now composing Nan Ting Chou. Various projects 
have been discussed for dredging part of the lake, making it 
jit for navigation, and reclaiming still other parts for cultiva- 
tion. How^ever, it has been found that floods have been more 
disastrous since the building of the great dikes reclaiming 
land, and very serious questions are involved in this project. 
^In addition to Changsha other important cities of the 
province are: Ch'angteh, west of the Tungting Lake, the 
leading trading center; Siangtan, south of Changsha, a great 



HUNAN PROVINCE 179* 

transshipment center; and Yochow, celebrated for its cloth 
manufactures. 

Ycchow is the strategic military center of Hunan and at 
the time of the temporary independence of the province, in 
the sum.mer of 1913, Hunan troops v^ere sent to Yochow from 
the South and at the same time Northern troops were also 
sent to this, place. 

Hunan is noted for its rice production, the region around 
the Tungting Lake and the plains bordering and extending 
back from Siangtan leading in this crop. 

It is also in this region that the m^ost famous tea of the 
province is grown. Green leaf for the imperial family was 
produced for centuries on Chunshan Island near Yochov/ 
Changsha is an important center for the production of anti- 
mony in which China leads the world, exporting large quan- 
tities annually to France, Germany, Holland and the United 
States. The ore is brought to Changsha by boat from 
numerous sections of the province. Coal is mined for use at 
the iron works and river ports. Gold, lead, zinc, tin. copper 
and arsenic havebeen mined in small quantities. 

Most of the lumber used in Central China and as far 
dovni the river as Wuhu com.es from Hunan province. Large 
areas are still under forests in the south and west. Great 
rafts representing hundreds of thousands of taels in value 
are constantly being floated down the Yuan River from 
Western Hunan across Tungting Lake to the Yangtsze 
River. The annual exports amount to about Tls. 10,000,000, the 
greater part of this consisting of fire wood. Oil is also one 
of the most valuable exports from Hunan. The International 
Export Company maintains a pork-raising farm between 
Changsha and Siangtan from which many tons of fine 
rice-fed pork, as fine as any in the world, are exported every 
year. 

In ancient times the territory which is now included in 
Hunan formed a part of the ^'Kingdom of the Three 
Aboriginal Tribes." Members of these non-Chinese tribes 
exist to the number of several thousands to-day, mostly in 
the hills of the southern and western parts of the province. 



i80 HANDBOOK 1?0R CHINA 

The great Emperor Shun died while on an expedition 
, against these tribes and on Chunshan Island in Tungting 
lake is the grave of his two wives, the daughters of Yao, 
who were on their way to nurse him and committed suicide 
by throvv^ing themselves into the lake when they received 
-news of his death. 

During the Taiping Rebellion, when the rebels had 
• driven out most of the civil authorities in the province, the 
J-Iunanese gentry came to the aid of the Governor, assisting 
him in organizing military expeditions which restored the 
-machinery of government. The men who drove out the Tai- 
-pings followed up their success to lasting advantage. The 
great Tseng Kuo Fan, a native of Changsha, was the leader 
in these military operations and it was under him with the 
assistance of General ''Chinese'* Gordon that the Taiping 
Rebellion v/as finally put down. The Hunanese gentry 
-never till the end of the Manchu rule relinquished the ad- 
vantage they gained through this. Government officials in 
Hunan always acted with the committee of the gentry, v/hich 
-was usully more powerful than the officials themselves. 

There are many mountain peaks in Hunan, the Nan Yo 

.or Hengsheng Mountain being the most famous. The Nan 

Yo is one of China's sacred m.ountains ; it rises to a height of 

4500 ft. Its sides are covered with tem.ples and well wooded 

.and it is a place of regular and crowded pilgrimage, 

The Yangtsze Gorges. — i\t Ichang, the famous Yangtsze 
gorges begin and a trip through them is wxll worth the time 
.and expense. Ichang, 1000 miles from the sea, is only 130 
feet above sea level, but Chungking, 400 miles farther inland 
is 630 feet above. This drop of 500 feet in a distance of 400 
miles is accomxplished through a series of gorges unsurpassed 
for their beauty and grandeur. The most famous of the 
gorges are between Ichang and Kweifu, a distance of 140 
-miles. L 

Passage through this part of the Yangtsze, Vv^here the 
great river has cut a channel for itself through deep mountain 
passes, would appear to be impossible. But it is the only 
means of transport for the great province of Szechuan, which 



YH^ YANGTSZE GORGES iSh 

has a population as large as that of the United States, and? 
millions of dollars' worth of cargo are hauled over the rapids 
each year. This is accomplished by means of trackers, who 
pull the boats along against the swift current with long bam- 
boo rope?, the coolies climbing over the rocks alongside, or 
using steps, which were cut into the sides of the cliffs centuries 
ago. In 1898 a small steamboat was constructed by private' 
enterprise for this perilous voyage and now regular trips are- 
run betvvcen Ichang ai>d Chungking, except during the low-- 
water period. Mrs. J. F. Bishop, who made this trip in a 
houseboat about 1895 writes of it as follows in The Yangtsze' 
Valley and Beyond: 

''We were then in what looked like a mountain lake. 
No outlet was visible ; mountains rose clear and grim against 
a aull grey sky. Snowflakes fell sparsely and gently in a per- 
fectly still atmosphere. We cast off from the shore ; the oars- 
were plied to a wild chorus ; what looked like a cleft in the- 
rock appeared and making an abrupt turn round a high rocky 
point in all the thrill of novelty and expectation, we were in 
the Ichang gorge, the first and one of the grandest of those 
gigantic clefts through which the Great River, at times a mile 
in breadth, there compressed into a limit of from 400 to 150 
, yards, has carved a passage through the mountains. 

"The change from a lake-like stretch, with its light and 
movement, to a dark and narrow gorge black with the shadows - 
of nearly perpendicular limestone cliffs broken up into but- 
tresses and fantastic towers of curiously splintered and 
weathered rock, culminating in the Pillar of Heaven, a 
limestone pinnacle rising sheer from the water to a height 
of 1800 feet, is so rapid as to bewilder the senses. The- 
expression 'lost in admiration' is a literally correct one. 

"With a strong fair wind our sail was set; the creak and" 
swish of the oars was exchanged for the low music of the 
river as it parted under our prow; and the deep water (from 
fifty to a hundred feet), of a striking bottle-green color, was 
unbroken by a swirl or ripple, and slid past in a grand, full 
volume. The stillness was profound, enlivened only as some 
big junk with lowered mast glided past us at great speed, the- 



^b^ HANDBOOK I^OR CHINA 

fifty or sixty men at the sweeps raising a wild chant in keep- 
ing with the scene. Scuds of snow, wild, white clouds 
whirling round pinnacles and desolate snow-clothed moun- 
tains, apparently blocking further progress, added to the 
enchantment. Crevices in the rock were full of maidenhair 
fern, and on many a narrow ledge clustered in profusion a 
delicate m^auve primula unabashed by the grandeur and the 
;gloom. Streams tumbled over ledges at heights of 100 feet. 
There are cliffs of extraordinary honeycom.bed rock possibly 
4he remains of 'potholes' of ages since, rock carved by the 
-action of water and weather into shrines with pillared fronts, 
grottoes with quaint embellishments — gigantic old wom.en 
;gossiping together in big hats— colossal abutments, huge rock 
needles after the manner of Quiraing, while groups of stalac- 
tites constantly occur as straight and as thick as sm.all pines 
supporting rock canopies festooned with maidenhair. Higher 
yet, surmounting rock ramparts 2000 feet high, are irregular 
battlemented walls of rock, perhaps twenty feet thick, and 
everywhere above and around are lofty summits sprinkled 
with pines', on which the snow lay in pov/der only, and 'the 
snow clouds rolling low ' added to the sublimity of the 
scenery. 

*'It was ahvays changing, too. If it were possible to be 
surfeited with turrets, battlements, and cathedral spires, and 
i;o weary of rock phantasies, the v/ork of water, of solitudes 
and silences, and of the majestic dark green flow of the Great 
River, there were besides lateral clefts, each with its wellsided 
torrent, with an occasional platform green Vv^ith w^heat, on 
which a brown roofed village nestled among fruit trees, or a 
mountain, bisected by a chasm, looking ready to fall into 
-the river, as some have already done, breaking up into piles 
of huge angular boulders over which even the goat-footed 
trackers cannot climb. Then, wherever the cliffs are less 
.al:4Solutely perpendicular, there are minute platforms partially 
sustaining houses with their backs burrowing into the rock, 
and their fronts extended on beams fixed in the cliff, accessible 
only by bolts driven into the rock, where the small children 
are tied to posts to prevent them falling over, and above, 



THE YANGTSZI5 CITIES 183 

fcelo?.', and around these dwellings are patches of careful 
culture, some of t'lem not larger than a bath towel, to which 
the cultivators lower themselves with ropes, and there are 
small openings occasionally, where deep-eaved houses cluster 
on the flat tops of rocky spurs among the exquisite plumage 
of groves of the golden and green bamboOj among oranges 
and pumeloes with their shining greenery, and straight 
stemmed palms with their great faniike leaves." 

A journey of three or four days above Ichang would 
take the traveler through Ichang Gorge, twenty miles in 
length, and well w^orth seeing. The journeys may be ex- 
tended almost indefinitely, and may be made a part of an 
interesting trip through Szechuan. to the borders of Tibet. 
The following table of time required for journeys from Ichang 
has been prepared by the Shanghai office of Messrs. T. Cook 
and Son, Vv^ho undertake arrangements for these trips : — 
To Tatung Rapid-2 days : return 1 day, total 3 days 



Tun gl nit an 


31 ^/2 


J) 


J) 


1 


*y 


j> 


3>^2 


>> 


Chentan 


3 


}> 




1/2 


f> 


>> 


3/6 


;> 


Yetan 


„ 4 


fy 


j^ 


2 




>) 


6 


" 


Kv/eifu City 


„ 8 




J J 


4 


>> 


> 


12 




Wanshien 


„ 12 


» 




6 




jj 


18 




Chungking 


„ 22 






10 


,, 


)> 


32 


>? 


The times g 


iven vary 


, dep 


end 


ing not ( 


only 


on the 


State 



of the river and the wind, but also a great deal en the 
desires of the boat crews to make a quick or a leisurely trip. 

Specially built river steamers now operate frequently 
between Ichang and Chungking performing the double jour- 
nc}^ in about a week. Return fare, 1st class_, $200. 

Several kinds of boats are available for the trip above 
Ichang. Large sampans, without sleeping accomodations, 
for a one-day trip, are $3 a day. Wupans, without toilet 
accommodations, are $5 a day. Two-roomed houseboats are 
$5, and three-roomed houseboats or hwadzas, %7 a day. The 
latter are the most comfortable and practically the only boats 
in which it is possible to make long journeys. 

References for further reading: "The Gorges of the 
Yangtsze/' by A. Little; "The Yangtsze Valley and Beyond/' 
by Airs. /. F. Bishop, ''A Glimpse Through, the Gorges of 
the Great Yangtsze,'' by Captain Plant. 



184 HANDBOOK FOR CHINA 

Ichang.— Ichang is the present terminus of a railways 
line projected to connect this port with Chungking, and 
the troubles which arose over the construction of the line- 
are credited with starting the revolution of 1911. In order 
to prevent the construction of the proposed railway by 
foreign capital, a local company had been formed and about 
£2,000,000 raised. Of this amount less than one-third had 
been voluntarily subscribed. By the terms of the Hukuang; 
loan agreement, signed in May, 1911, the Chinese government 
agreed to take over the shares in this line. Violent opposi- 
tion to this plan arose, and the disturbance in Chengtu pre- 
cipitated the revolution. When the revolution halted work 
on this line, sixteen miles of track had been laid and prelimi- 
nary work completed for sixty miles. It is estimated that 
the construction of the line, which passes through an exceed- 
ingly mountainous country will take from 10 to 15 years^. 
Missions. The American Episcopal church, the Swedish,, 
the Church of Scotland, and the China Inland. 

Chungking. — Chungking occupies the end of a bold and^ 
rocky bluff at the confluence of the Kialing and Yangtsze 
rivers some 1400 miles from the sea. It is surrounded by a. 
stone wall five miles in circumference built in 1761. To- 
gether with Kiangpeh, a walled town on the opposite bank of 
the Kialing, it boasts of a population of 500,000. It is the- 
most inland treaty port on the Yangtsze. As Chengtu is 
the political and literary center of Szechuan, so Chungking 
is its commercial entrepot. British, French, Amicrican: 
and Japanese gunboats usually lie at anchor here for the 
protection of trade and their respective national interests. 
Half surrounded by a range of hills over 1000 feet in height^, 
the situation of the city is one of great beauty. Its drawback, 
lies in the moisture of its climate in summer. Like Wan- 
hsien, it formes a terminus for Chengtu, 10 stages distant; 
From Chungking also the traveler leaves the river for the- 
overland journey to the Province of Kweichow. 

Chungking is a center of operations for several mission- 
ary societies; the Friends (British), Canadian Methodistp. 
American Methodist, China Inland, etc. 



che:ngtu 185 

Chenjtu. — It is only through the Yangtsze gorges or by 
a more tiresome trip through the narrow passes of the moun- 
tains separating the province of Hupeh fr.om Szechuen that it 
is possible to reach Chengtu from the Yangtsze Valley. This 
city is the capital of the province of Szechuan and one of the 
oldest and most important cities in China. It was once the 
capital of the independent Kingdom of Shuh. Its inhabitants 
number nearly half a million. It is situated in the center of 
the famous Chengtu Plain, 120 miles by 40, the population 
of which is estimated to be 1200 to the square mile. The soil 
is rich, the climate mild, and the excellent system of irriga- 
tion devised more than 2000 years ago by Li Ping, China's 
;great irrigation engineer, insures water at all periods of the 
rice season. The farms of the plain are valuable, and are 
so intensely cultivated, that they resemble small garden 
|)atches rather than farms. It is possible to raise a winter as 
well as a summer crop and four seasons of garden vegetables. 
Famine has been unknown for two milleniumxS. 

The city is unique as being v/ithout a pagoda. It is 
surrounded by a m^assive wall nine miles in length and over 
40 feet broad, which being splendidly paved forms a favorite 
promenade for the citizens. The citadel and enclosed place 
of residence of the ancient Emperors still exists dating from 
A. D. 221-265. 

In fev/ other places in China can such a contrast in 
architecture be seen, for while the Chinese who live there cling 
to the standards of South and Central China, the Manchus as 
persistently duplicate the old styles of Manchuria and as a 
result types both of Peking and Canton can be seen. The 
population of Szechuan province and of Chengtu is compara- 
tively m.odern. The independent Szechuanese refused- to ac- 
cept the rule of the Manchus and it was necessary for the 
Manchu troops almost to depopulate the province before the 
anti-dynastic rebellions were put down. The invading Man- 
chus liked the country so well that they remained as per- 
manent residents. Little remained of the ancient Szechuan 
population and the rich province was filled up with immigrants 
irom South and Central China. These sturdy settlers have 



186 HANDBOOK I?OR CHINA 

produced a race as independent as the more ancient Sze- 
chuanese as evidenced by the fact that one of the first outbreaks 
which heralded the revolution of 191 1 was in Szechuan. 

The streets of Chengtu are noted throughout China for 
their width and cleanliness, all being paved by wide stone 
slabs and well policed. On the principal Great East Street 
are many silk stores. Szechuan is one of the most important 
silk provinces of China and is famed for the excellent weave 
of its various silks and satins. Its export of this commodity 
continues to grow. 

A large number of Moslems are found on the Chengtu 
plain. They have lived in China for m^any generations and 
are nearly indistinguishable from the native Chinese, but still 
persist in regarding themselves as foreigners. They are the 
cattle merchants and butchers of Chengtu and its neighbor- 
hood. Chengtu is quite a missionary center. Six missions 
are represented and two Bible societies with nearly 70 mis- 
sionaries. Two magnificent hospitals have been erected and 
another is in process of being built. A Christian Union 
University has been established in the south suburb. 

To the south of Chengtu on the banks of the Min river 
are found many rock-cut tombs. They contain stone and 
burnt-clay coffins together v/ith fragments of grave goods be- 
longing to the times of the Han dynasties and the period of 
the Three Kingdoms (B. C. 206— A. D. 265). The en- 
trances to them are occasionally finely carved, They vary 
much in size but the larger ones measure from 40 to 100 feet 
deep and 6^ feet high, with an equal breadth. In the sides 
are niches for the placing of coffins and the hades images 
and articles. 

The 260 miles from Chungking to Chengtu is usually 
traversed by sedan chairs, the traveler stopping at native 
inns along the road. The time occupied is ten days. Chairs 
with bearejrs can be hired at $1 per day and coolies at 40 cents 
per day for the trip. Inns cost 12 to 25 cents per night for 
the best room. The road between Chengtu and Chungking 
passes through the densely populated heart of Szechuan 
Province, touching eight walled cities. The return journey to 



SZC;CHUAN PROVINCE 137 

Chungking can be made by boat, (see page 184) . The traveler 
can delay at Kialingfu to visit Mount Omi, 30 miles distant ^ 
the famous Buddhist mountain, nearly 11,000 feet high. A 
stone path runs all the way to the top, where, on a clear day, 
an excellent view can be had of the snow-topped mountains- 
of Tibet. Lodging can be secured at the many temples by 
the Vv^ayside. 

Visitors to Mount Om.i are often able to see the strange 
apparition w^iich made Omi famous as far av/ay as Indiav 
This consists of a rainbow floating in space one to three thou- 
sand feet below the precipice, and, in the center, Vvdiat appears- 
to be a colossal human figure. The rainbov/ is formed by 
the sun and the mists while the figure is the shadow of the 
observer. In the time when Buddhism exerted a stronger 
influence than at present, this phenomenon excited such awe 
that many devotees threv/ themselves from, the cliff, expecting 
to be caught in the arms of Buddha. Among the many 
temples on the mountain, those most v/orthy a visit are : Ta- 
wu-su, Chiu-lau-tung (famous for its caves), Kinting (on the 
summit) and Wan-yan-su. 

Szechuan Province, — The area of the province cf Sze- 
chuan is 218,183 square miles and its population is about 7S 
millions ; itsnamic, ''four streams," is derived from the fact that 
four rivers, the Kialing, Ching, Minand Yulong flow through 
the province into the Yangtsze. Szechuan is peculiarly isolat- 
ed from the other parts of China, for it not only lies in the 
remote western part of the country, bordering on Tibet, but 
its mountainous boundaries make communication difficult,. 
even with the provinces immediately adjoining it. The hills 
rise to great heights on the Kwcichow boundary and the- 
northeast corner, bordering on Hupeh is wild mountain land. 
The gorges here are almost inaccessible but are said to be- 
finer than those on the Yangtsze. The fact that the 
province is so densely populated testifies highly to the agree- 
ableness of the climate, the fertility of the soil, and tlie- 
efflciency of the ancient system of irrigation. The most im- 
portant parts of the province are (1) the ''Red Basin," in- 
which lies the plain of Chengtu and many small valleys, alii 



188 HANDBOOK FOR CHINA 

.of them about 1000 feet above the sea level; (2) the famous 
salt-well region lying in the triangle between the cities of 
Kiatingfu, Fuhsuenhsieh and Luikianghsien ; and (3) the 
countr\^ around Chungking. All of the valleys and even the 
hills are intensely cultivated, the province being "dotted 
with farmhouses, hamlets, villages, and market towns, many 
of them larger and more important than 'cities' in other parts 
of China." The whole of the province has a climate peculiar 
to itself. There is rarely any frost or snovv' in winter and the 
-average maximum sum^mer heat is 92^. Eastern Szechuan is 
often cloudy in vv inter but in Western Szechuan it is not un- 
common to have long spells of the brightest sunshine in 
December and January. Two harvests are reaped in the 
year, the first of wheat, pulse and rape seed in April and May 
.and the second in August and September of rice, maize, 
potatoes, etc. The high mountainous region of the west, 
bordering on Eastern Tibet, is the paradise of the botanist, 
tht ethnologist and the sportsman. Traveling in Szechuan 
in spring and autumn is a pleasure no visitor ever forgets. 
The climate is ideal, the scenery unsurpassed for beauty, food 
-is always plentiful, coolie hire is not expensive and the people 
-if treated rightly always show the utmost friendliness. 

In the southwest of the Szechuan Alps, an independent 
race inhabits the uplands adjoining the Kiench'ang Valley. 
They call themselves No-su, but the Chinese nickname them 
Mantsze (barbarians) or Lolos, also written Laolao, and 
Liaoliao (wild hunters). In the northwest are several tribes 
of aborigines of different origin. One of them shows a pure- 
ly Aryan cast of feature. By the Chinese they are generally 
classed as the Sifan tribes. They more or less recognize the 
supremacy of China. In the v/est at Tatsienlu the Tibetans 
and Chinese live side by side, but on the further side of the 
Yalung river the Tibetans are frequently in revolt against 
Chinese authority. 

The Chinese race is predominant throughout the rest of 

Szechuan, but their features vary somewhat; and some, espe- 

.cially in regions near to the western mountains, are of mJxed 

^blood. "These varieties result from the position occupied 



tatsii:nlu 18^ 

by Szechtian, it being the limit and bord,pr land where widely 
different races come into contact with each other. Revolu- 
tions have also largely modified the population of the country. 
Among those upheavals, we must mention the great massacre 
which took place there at the close of the Ming dynasty. 
Three-fourths of the inhabitants are said to have been ex- 
terminated. To repeople the provinte, a large number of 
immigrants flowed in tovy^ards the middle of the 17th century. 
Traces of this immigration are still met with at Chungking, 
where the local • Council of the Gentry is called Pasheng 
(the 8 provinces), alluding thereby to the eight provinces to 
which the mem.bers of the Assembly originally belonged. The 
predominating element of the population is said to have 
a striking resemblance to the aborigines of Yunnan, the 
Kachyns (BurmxCse ' v/ild m.en ') v\^ho inhabit the Burma- 
Chinese frontier, and whose principal characteristics are : a 
triangular face, large, obliquely-set eyes, light hair, and ex- 
tremely short stature (4 ft. 8 to 5 feet). In the east, a portion 
of the population is made up of families that came from 
Hunan. 

''The people of Szechuan are shrewd, acti\e, quarrel-- 
some, but nevertheless very polite. They are also hospitable, 
and migrate easily from their homes, being found in Kansu, 
Shensi, Kweichow, and even upon the lofty table lands of' 
Yunnan."* As Chinese they rank much above the average 
in intelligence and in w^ealth. They are free in their habits, 
industrious and as a rule naturally kind to foreigners. 

Tatsienlu.— Tatsienlu, 8349 feet above sea level, is an 
exceedingly interesting little city betweeen Szechuan proper 
and Eastern Tibet. It is situated in a narrow valley amidst 
vast mountains through which runs the main road from 
Chengtu to Lhassa. The former is 12 stages or 267 miles 
distant, tlie latter 66 stages or 1506 miles. Official estimates 
give the population of the place as 700 Tibetan and 400^ 
Chinese families, but besides it has a numerous floating- 
population of merchants, soldiers and visitors. 

* Richard's * Comprehensive Geography of C'iir;a» ** 



190 HANDBOOK ]?0R CHINA 

Being at once a Tibetan and a Chine:.e capital, as also 
a commercial and a missionary center, travelers to West 
China, if they have time at all, generally make it a point to 
visit Tatsienlu. Here the deposed King of Chala has his 
town residence and a country seat 9 miles distant at Yu- 
ling-kong". Here are administered the Chinese affairs of the 
whole of Eastern Tibet and here come long caravans of 
merchandise from the interior returning v^ith tea', cotton, and 
metal goods. Though only at the threshold of Tibet, Ihe 
Tibetans come and go in such numbers that they can be 
seen here in all their quaint, free, happy ruggedness of 
character. Eight lamasaries are to be found in or near the 
city. Prayer flags fly from the houses, large prayer wheels 
are driven by water pov/er on the banks of the streams, cairns 
of sacred inscribed stones rise from the wayside. On all 
sides are the snow-topped mountains. A day or two to the 
west the snow line on the highway can be reached at a pass 
13,923 feet high. Bear, leopard, wild cow, wild sheep and 
:goat, deer, pheasant, pigeon, etc. can be shot in the neigh- 
borhood. The country is one of mountain, forest, tableland 
and rushing river; grand, free, bracing, fascinating, the fitting 
home of its hardy sons and famous dogs. 

From Chengtu to Tatsienlu the traveler can ride a pony 
■or hire a sedan chair while coolies carry his luggage, 70 
catties per man. Each coolie costs 50 to 60 cents per day. 
From Tatsienlu westward all luggage is transported on the 
backs of pack animals. These are provided by the Tibetan 
system of " Ula,'' the hire of each animal being about 50 
cents for one day. 

From Tatsienlu two roads run westv^^ards into Tibet, 
called the North and South roads. The nrst is the business 
route, and proceeds by way of Dawo, Kantsze and Derge ; the 
second is the official route and proceeds by way of Hokow 
(where French engineers have erected a steel bridge over 
the Yalung river), Litang, Lamaya, Batang, Kiangka and 
Chiamdo. At Chiamdo the Chinese postal service has its 
most western post office. 

On the official route the distances are as follows: 



TATSI^NLU 191 

Tatsienlu to Hokow, 120 English miles ; Hol-cow to Litang, 
■88 miles ; Litang to Laniaya, 46 miles; Lamaya to Batang, 
117 miles; Batang to Kiangka, 120 miles; Kiangka to 
Bhiamdo, 274 miles. A stage or day's journey may be 
roughly reckoned at 18 to 25 miles. The full distance from 
Chengtu to Lhassa is 1646 miles. 

From Batang a road runs to Derge; the traveler can thus, 
when the political situation is quiet, proceed by the north 
road and return by the south or vice versa. Southward from 
Batang an important road leads to Yunnan, from which the 
route can be followed on into Burmah. According to the 
Kev. A. J. Clements of Batang the distance between Batang 
and Talifu in Yunnan is about 600 miles or 31 stages ; 
Batang to Yentsing, 6 stages ; Yentsing to Atensze, 7 stages ; 
Atensze to Talifu, 18 stages. 

Between Tatsienlu and Ningyuanfu a road can be pursued 
which also leads into Yunnan and Burmah. The chief in- 
terest of this is that it passes through the Nosu or Lolo country. 
The Lolos, are a race of aboriginals whom the Chinese have 
failed to subdue. Driven out of the Kienchang or Ningyuan- 
fu valley they have maintained their independence in the 
mountains. From Tatsienlu to Fu-lin it is 4 stages ; from 
Fu-lin to Yue-shi-hsien, 4 stages ; from Yue-shi-hsien to Ning- 
yuanfu, 4 stages, twelve in all. Mode of travel : sedan chair, 
horses, coolies. PVom Ningyuanfu to Hui-li-chow, 5 stages, 
from Hui-li-chow tc Yunnanfu, 12 stages. 

There is another road from Ningyuanfu to Yunnan v/hich 
is chosen by those wdio wish to go to Talifu. Ningyuanfu to 
Yenyuenhsien, 5 stages; Yenyuenhsien to Talifu, 12 stages. 

British, American, Norw^egian and French missionaries 
are at work in Tatsienlu and Eastern Tibet. In the summer 
time they take long journeys into the interior, carrying the 
gospel and civilization to this upland pastoral people. When 
China and Tibet manage to define their respective areas and 
the present unrest dies down anew era of progress is con- 
fidently expected to set in when the whole of this vast coimtry 
between Tatsienlu and the Yangtsze w^ill be fully open to the 
traveler, the merchant and the missionary. 



192 HANDBOOK ^OR CHINA 

Hankow to Peklngr. — Hankow is connected with the 
capital by the Peking-Hankow, or Ching-Han Railway, 75S 
miles Fare, first class, 165.40; second class $43.60. A 
through " de luxe" train on which these fares apply makes 
the round trip each week^ the journey one w^ay occupying; 
30 hours. 

Important points on the line are : 

Miles fr'^m Miles from- 

Hankcw Peking 

Hankov/ or Han k'eoii* (seepage 192) 753 

109 Cross Mu Ling mountain by a tunnel 644 

1115 feet long, leaving the basin of 
the Yangtsze for that of the Yellow 
River. The country between Hankow 
and the Yellow River was formerly 
divided between the three kingdoms 
of Chu, Chin and Wei and this is the 
• scene of many stirring adventures of 
that period. 

112 Hsin-tien or Sin-ticn, Two miles e: st 6*41 

at an altitude of 1980 feet is Chi-kung- 
shan, a summer resort frequented by 
foreigners from Hankow. 

236 Yen-cheng Hsien or Yen Tclieng 517 

Sien. Cross the Sha Ho, a tributary of 
the Yellow River. 

295 lism-cnenglilsienov Sin Vcheng Sien, 458 

a very old town vv^hich was captured by 
the state of Cheng (806-375 B. C). 

Z2Z Chengchow or Tcheng Tcheou. Rail- 430 

way connections to Honanfu and to 
Kaifeng. Cross Yellov/ River. 

590 Chengting-fu or Tcheng Ting Fou 163 

Branch line to Tai Yuan-fu (see page 
241). 



* The French spelling of Chinese names Is used on this railway,. 
Both the official and the French spellings are here given, the French iffis 

italics. 



KAIt'KNG 193 

663 Pao-tlng-fu (seepage 241). 90 

701 Kao-pei-tien. A branch line 25 miles 52 

long leads to the Western Tombs (see 

page 2^2). ^ 

122 Liou-li-ho. Sixteen miles distant are 31 

the famous grottoes, Yuan-shui Tung. 
733 Leang-hsiang Hsien. Ten miles dis- 20 

tant are the burial places of the ten 

moriarchs who ruled China from 1115 

to 1234. The tombs are in ruins. 
753 Peking (see page 199.) 

Kaifeng.* — The 40 miles by railway from Chengchow to 
Kaifeng is traversed in 2>2 hours, bringing the traveler to 
Kaifeng (population 230,000), capital of Honan province, 
this city has been the capital of the country on several 
occasions. The northern Sung dynasty reigned here when 
the place was known as Pieu-liang, from 960 to 1129. 
It was also the eastern capital of the Mongols and has been a 
center of great wealth. *'At one siege Kuan L,i-pu demanded 
-an indemnity of five million ounces of gold, ten thousand 
horses and as many oxen. While this enormous exaction 
shov/s the wealth of the capital, the fact that it was paid ex- 
plains the rapid decline afterwards and the one reason v/hy it 
was abandoned in favor of Nanking.'* 

Owing to its central location it has been the scene of 
many fierce battles. Under the Mings Kaifeng was destroyed 
by robbers and floods, but rebuilt. The city was captured in 
1642 by the rebel-brigand Li Tze-cheng, whose later victories 
:at Sianfu and Peking led to the overthrow of the Ming 
^dynasty and the establishment of the Manchus as the rulers of 
China. The city at that time withstood a long siege, but was 
at length subdued when the rebels cut the embankments of 
the Yellow River thereby flooding the town. One hundred 
thousand people perished. Later there were many disastrous 
fires which seriously affected the importance of the city. The 
population is now small and except for a few ancient temples, 



* Travelers to Kaifeng must have Chinese passoprts. 



194 HANDBOOK ^OR CHINA 

the city has few places of interest. One of the famous 
pagodas of China is the '' Iron Pagoda " of Kaifeng, built 
largely of glazed tiles and porcelain. It is one of the few 
remaining of this style of construction. The old throne 
room of the Sungs can also be seen. 

Kaifeng is noted as the location of a Jewish colony, 
which has attracted a great deal of attention from students of 
history. It is known that the Jews settled in China during 
the Han dynasty, and '' it is supposed that the settlement took 
place soon after A.D. 34, at which time a terrible persecution 
of the Jews took place in Babylon. No less than 50,000 
were then massacred. Others hold that the settlement took 
place 35 year later, after the fall of Jerusalem. It is quite 
possible that the Jewish colony in China may be of even. 
older date— Is. 49: 12 * And these from the land of Sinim." 
When the great Jesuit missionary, Matteo Ricci, was in 
Peking, he was visited by one of the Kaifeng Jews, who was 
familiar with the tenets of his religion and told of a large- 
congregation of Jews with a synagogue in Hangchow, as we^ 
as large Jewish populations in other provinces. Other Jesuits 
at later dates made copies of inscriptions on stone tablets at 
Kaifeng, giving isolated details of the history of the colony, 
and also translated some of the inscriptions found in the- 
synagogue. 

From these inscriptions as well as from, the writings of 
Jesuits and of Marco Polo, it is evident that the Jewish colony 
at Kaifeng was at one time large and important and able to 
support a fine synagogue. As late as the first part of the 
eighteenth century the colony was still vigorous and the mem- 
bers distinguishable from their neighbors by their Hebraic 
features. In the flood of 1642 many of the Hebrew manu- 
scripts were destroyed and the fragmentary records of the 
colony tell a pathetic story of the efforts to repair and revise 
the damaged sacred papers which remained. The syna- 
gogue was rebuilt, apparently for the last time, in 1653. 
Two centuries later when the Jews of Europe began to be in- 
terested in the colony it was rapidly declining. A letter was 
sent to the Kaifeng Jews, and a reply received in 1870 told a 



HO NAN PROVINCE 195' 

pathetic story of the colony's plight. The teachers were all 
dead and no one remained who could read Hebrew, a know- 
ledge they had preserved for almost two thousand years, while 
isolated from all others of their race. " Daily with tears in- 
our eyes we call on the Holy Nam^e; if we could but again 
procure ministers, and put our house of prayer in order, our 
religion w^ould have a firm support." At that tim.e only 
seven of the seventy Jewish clans remained, consisting of 
about 200 persons. At present the Kaifeng Jews are indistin- 
guishable from their Chinese neighbors, ]\vith wdiom they' 
have intermarried, though a few still persist in calling them- 
selves Jews. Only in abstinence from pork do they exhibit- 
any knov/ledge of the beliefs of their religion. 

Alissions : Canadian Episcopal Church Mission, China 
Inland, American Baptist. 

Honan Province. — The area of Honan is 67,940 square^ 
miles and its population 35 millions or an average of 520 per 
square mile. With the exception of the mountainous western- 
parts, the whole of the province is a remarkably fiat and fertile^ 
plain, crossed by a number of rivers which connect principal- 
market places of the province with Chinkiang, Hankow and 
Tientsin. Roads from principal centers cross the province- 
and unite at Honanfu. The central part of the plain is- 
buried in sand brought down from the Yellow River, but the- 
remainder is fertile, 'Motted over with cities, towns and 
villages, and crossed in every direction with brown earth- 
roads, wide in the north and center, and narrow and paved in 
the south, teeming with a hardy farming population." The 
province is probably the most treeless region of China, even* 
the bamboo being very scarce. In its absence the fences arc 
built of Kaoliang stalks. The houses are mostly built of mud 
and stone. The climate of the province shows great 
extremes, the winters being cold and bracing, with a temper- 
ature which often drops below zero, and summers with a 
maximum temperature of 100^. There are extensive coal mines- 
in the province, success'fully worked by primitive Chinese 

methods. '* The Honanese do not care for travel 

Their view of the world is limited by their own horizoiir 



196 HANDBOOK FOR CHINA 

The majority are farmers, somewhat rude and uncouth in 
manner, easily roused to anger, quick to take offense. They 
are of an independent turn of mind and will not brook re- 
proof; very conservative, they do not welcome foreign inno- 
vation. In certain districts the anti-foreign feeling runs high, 
and the people would rejoice if all * barbarians * were ex- 
pelled. In other districts they are very friendly, and welcome 
the stranger in their midst Poverty and squalor pre- 
vail ; the people are indifferent to discomfort and dirt, and 
apparently lack the enterprise necessary to ameliorate their 
own condition. The cold of winter {s met without any warm- 
ing apparatus. They add warm clothing, but as their gar- 
ments are rarely washed, their condition at the end of winter 
can be better imagined than described. A com.mon proverb 
runs, *A Hupeh man, unless he has cleansed his feet does not 
fleep at night; a Honan man unless he fords a river never 
washes his feet.' This principle runs through everything; 
roads, houses, people, animals, all suffer from neglect/' 

Honan province has occupied an important place in the 
history of the country, having been the seat of the government 
more frequently than any other province. As early as 2180 
B. C. Taikang w^as the capital of the Hsia dynasty, while 
-400 years later Kweitehfu was the capital of the Shang dy- 
nasty. Honanfu and Kaifeng have also served as the capital 
on several occasions. 

Ten miles to the south of Honanfu is the famous moun- 
tain defile, Lung Men, decorated w^ith many huge carvings, 
which include statues of Buddha over 60 feet high. The 
Lung Men is an artificial river channel cut through a lime- 
stone miountain, the work, according to tradition, being done 
by Emperor Yu, wath the aid of a dragon. In the seventh 
century hundreds of temples were quarried into the limestone 
sides of the defile, and thousands of images carved, chiefly of 
Buddha and his disciples. Hot springs in the neighborhood 
add to the interest and fame of the region. To the south of 
Honanfu is the sacred mountain of Sung Shan, 7000 feet high. 
In the southeastern part of the province, in the district of 
Kwangchow, is the Shwang-ho Shan, a mountain of consider- 



CEENCHOW 197" 

able interest as the inhabitants of the district believe it is the 
dwelling place for the souls of the departed. Because of this 
belief, they have gone to considerable expense to build hun- 
dreds of rooms and dwelling places for the souls of friends 
and relatives. 

Horanfu. — Before the Chinese people moved far from 
their cradle in the valley of the Yellow River, Honanfu was 
an important city, well located in the rich valley of the Lo- 
ho, and at the crossing of the tv/o great high roads to Sianfu, 
At present it is the western terminus of the Kaifeng-Honan 
line, which connects at Chengchow with the Peking-Hankow 
line but is of small commercial importance. A Chinese 
com.pany was organized to construct a railway v/est from 
Honanfu to Tungkuan, a distance of 160 miles, and thence to 
Sianfu, but in 1914 only 70 miles of earthworks had been 
completed and 30 miles of rails laid. 

The city is of great historical interest, having served as 
the capital of the country under four dynasties : Chow, 781 B. 
C; Eastern Han, 25 A. D. ; Tsin. 280 A. D. ; and T'ang 
904 A. D. 

Chenchow. — Chenchow, which is not to be confused 
v/iththe near-by city of Chengchow,* is one of the oldest, if 
not the oldest city in China. According to the annals it was 
in existence as long ago as 3000 B. C. v/hen '}^ was the resi- 
dence of Fu Hsi, the legendary first ruler 6r China, who is 
supposed to be buried at the place. Shen Nung, the " Divine 
Plowman," also lived here. The burial place of Fu Hsi is at 
a temple about a mile from the city, where several hundred 
thousand come each spring when the festival in his honor is 
celebrated.' According to Chinese mythology, Fu Hsi began 
all things. " He discovered the use of salt, under the in- 
fluence of which men lost the gills and hair v/ith which their 
bodies had previously been furnished. He taught them how 
to hunt and how to fish, how to split wood for firing and 
therewith to cook what they took in the chase and from the 
streams. He taught them the care of flocks and herds, too. 



* Spelled Tcheng Tcheou on the railway time-tables. 



198 HANDBOOK FOR CHINA 

and how to twist silken threads and produce harmonious 
:Sounds therefrom. He found family life matriarchal; he in- 
stituted m.arriage and so produced the patriarchal type which 
has nowhere persisted so strongly as in China. Men in those 
days kept their records by means of knotted cords, similar 
probably to those Cortez found in use in Mexico. Fu Hsi 
superseded them by written characters and introduced a 
-calendar." At the tomb in Chenchow there is a circular 
raised platform, on which the signs of the Pa-kua are in- 
scribed in stone. In the center is placed the Long-ma, or 
dragon horse on vvhich has been marked the sign of the ele- 
mental principles according to Chinese theory — the T'ai-ki- 
-I'u. The dragon horse is supposed to have emerged from the 
Yellow River at the comm^and of Heaven, to aid Fu Hsi in 
iiis task of civilizing the earth; the figure of the T'ai-ki was 
found on its back, and from it Fu Hsi deciphered the Chinese 
system of w^rilten characters. ''' According to Chinese history 
Fu Hsi lived about the time of the flood, and some Europeans 
think that probably Noah is really the character referred to. 
Hov/ever that may be, a very interesting and curious thing 
about these diagramxS is that they represent father, mother, 
-three sons and three daughters, thus exactly coinciding with 
•ithe number and relaticnship of the family cf Koah. " 



PEKING- 



\^ 




Slien Nung Tan. 



EKING is located on a flat plain, eighty 
miles west of Tientsin, with which it is 
connected by a double-track railway. \t 
is also con>nected with Hankow by rail 
and through the Peking-Moukden, 
Tientsin-Pukow and Shanghai- Nanking 
railways with Shanghai. The Peking- 
xvloukden line (in normal times) makes 
connections with the Trans-Siberian 
route. Population, 700,000. 

Arrival : Passengers from the south 
over the Peking-Hankov/ railway arrive 
at the station inside the Chinese city 
and just south of the Tartar city wall, within a few minu-es' 
;ricsha ride of the _ Legation Quarter and the hotels. 
Passengers from Tientsin arrive at the station of the 
Government Railway of North China ( Peking- Moukden 
route), a short distance east of the Peking-Hankow railway 
station and equally near the legations and hotels. 

Hotels : Grand Hotel de Pekin, (motor bus meets 
trains,) Grand Hotel des Wagon Lits, Astor, Palace. 

Post-ofiQces : In addition to the Chinese post-office, postal 
.agencies are maintained by France, Japan and Russia. 

Telegraphs and Cables : Eastern-Extension, Australasia 
.and China Telegraph Co., Ltd. ; Great Northern Telegraph 
Co., Ltd.; and Chinese Telegraphs. The rates abroad are 
about the same as from Shanghai. 

Transportation: Carriages, %6 per half day, %\\) per 
day ; ricshas, lirst class, with two coolies, 30 cts. per hour, 
$2 per day; one coolie, 20 cts. per hour; mule cart, 30 cts. per 
hour; motor cars, m.orning, $10 to $15, afternoon, $15 to $25; 
victorias, 50 cts. to $1 per hour ; guides, inside city $2 per 
day, outside city, $2.50 per day. 

Churches and Missions: American T-Jission, London 
^lissicn. American Board, American Presbyterian, Methodist 
Episcopal. Anglican, St. Saviour's Cathedral, ^'t. Michael, 
Hussian Church, Union Church, Y. M. C. A., etc. 



203 HANDBOOK I?OR CHINA 



Legations : American, Belgian, British, French, Italian, 
Japanese, Mexican, Netherlands, Portuguese, Russian, and 
Spanish. All the legations occupy substantial buildings in 
the Legation Quarter and practically all of them maintain 
military guards. 

With China a republic, Peking is no longer an imperial 
city, but the change in the form of government has not 
detracted from its interest to the visitor. For nine hundred 
years, under various names', it has been the capital of China, 
with short intervals during v/hich the capital was removed to 
other places. During its centuries of imperial residence 
the city has been beautified by the erection of many 
buildings, temples and altars, most of them typifying the 
barbaric splendor of the Tartar rulers of China. Foreign 
influence and the establishment of* the Republic have made 
few changes in it and the city remains the same mysterious, 
picturesque, interesting place it has been for centuries. But 
the whole history of China is told by the bricks and stones 
and plaster w^alls of Peking and here' are mementos of 
conquests and dynastic changes, and evidences of the influence 
of Jesuits, Mohammedans and Persians. The changes which 
have been brought about by modern influences and by the 
change in the form of government are trivial and superficial. 
With slight changes the Peking of the tv/entieth century 
might well be the Peking of five centuries ago. The soul of 
the city has remained unchanged and the dramas of intrigue 
and treachery, cruelty and conquest are played to-day in a 
setting of the Middle Ages. 

Located on a flat, sandy plain, and surrounded by high 
walls, Peking from a distance looks much like a giant box 
and the scarcity of habitations on the plain makes it difficult 
for the approaching traveler to vizualize the busy life Vv^ithin 
the walls. Nothing can be seen to indicate the presence of the 
many temples, pagodas and palaces inside for it is a city of 
two story houses, few of which are as high as the walls. The 
city occupies the northern extremity of the great alluvial 
delta which stretches to the south for 700 miles, broken only 
by rivers, canals and a few hills. 



pe:king 201 

Peking is on the same parallel of latitude as Madrid. 
The climate is dry and bracing, there rarely being any rain 
between October and April while there may be several feet 
of ice in the rivers in January, The short period of hot 
weather, lasting six to eight wrecks, comes during July and 
August. The thermometer climbs high and the heat is often 
more annoying than in points farther south. The annual 
range of temperature is from 104^ above to 10^ below zero. 

if one remains long in Peking he will not escape one 
of the famous Peking dust storms. *' On some sunshiny 
days it is noticed that the rays of the sun appear to be 
less powerful than usual. Presently they are obscured. 
No cloud is to be seen, but a dull haze of dark-brown hue 
becomes more. and more pervasive, until the dust settles 
down quietly from above, or the wind which has arisen arrives 
in swirls speedily enveloping everything, so that on the 
worst occasions it may be necessary to light the lamps in the 
mJddle of the day. No one knows whence the dust comes, 
why it comes at some times and not at others, or why it 
comes at all. It is simply an indisputable and an influential 
fact. " 

As long ago as 1200 B. C. a city v/as built on the present 
^ite of Peking and later became the capital of the Kingdom 
of Yen, which was overthrown by the Ch'in dynasty (222 B. 
C. ) and the city reduced in rank. It vs^as taken in 986 by the 
Kitan Tartars who established themselves there and called 
the place Nanking (Southern Capital) to distinguish it from 
their more northern seat. The Chinese again recaptured the 
city in the early part of the 12th century, changing the name 
to Yen Chau-fu. A few years later the "Golden" Tartars suc- 
ceeded to the city, restored it to its former imperial rank, and 
gave it the name of Chung-tu (Central Capital.) When 
Ghengis Khan, the great Mongol leader, began his conquest 
of China, one of the first places he captured was Chung- 
tu, which was occupied as the capital by his renowned 
successor and grandson, Kublai Khan. In the latter part of 
the thirteenth century, he rebuilt the city, and gave it the 
name of Khanbalik (City of the Khan). It was under this 



202 HANDBOOK FOR CHINA 

name, corrupted into Cambaluc, that the capital became 
known to Europe. Some ruins of the mud walls of this 
ancient city may be seen outside the An Ting Gate near the 
Bell Temple while the Bell Tower and Drum Tower are two 
surviving monuments to the architectural pretensions of 
the place. 

For a short time at the beginning of the Ming dynasty 
the capital of China was located at Nanking, but the third 
Emperor, Yung-lo, removed to the northern city and in order 
to distinguish it from the southern capital he had deserted 
gave the place the name of Peking (Northern Capital). The 
location of the capital is an unhappy one. being far removed 
from the southern and most prosperous part of the country, 
but its selection was dictated by sound politics. The Chinese 
Emperors found it necessary to make Peking the capital in 
order to keep watch on the restless Tartars and Mongols, 
while the later Manchus naturally preferred it to any other 
location because of its proximity to their ancestral home in 
Manchuria. The republicans were anxious to remove the 
capital to a more southern position but feared that the 
removal would endanger the allegiance of Manchuria and 
Mongolia, A great many southern Chinese believe that the 
capital will eventually be removed to Nanking or Wuchang, 
but to the average son of Peking, this idea is absurd. 

Peking is built in the form of an exaggerated Gothic 
letter T, with the lines of the letter so thickened and the top 
so shortened that it , resembles a rectangular oblong. The 
northern part is almost exactly square and is known as the 
'i^artar City. This part of the city was restored b}^ Yung-lo, 
the walls being completed in 1437. The walls are 50 feet 
high, 60 feet thick at the base and 40 feet thick at the top. 
They have been kept in a perfect state of repair although the 
guard houses which surmount them are in a dilapidated con- 
dition and brush is allowed to grow on the top. The walls 
are faced on both sides v/ith brick and filled in with dirt and 
mortar. After this city was built, the Chinese population used 
the ruins and debris of the older city of Cambaluc on the 
south to build up a large suburb. A hundred years after 



PEKING 203 

the completion of the walls of the Tartar City the suburb 
was enclosed in walls and has since been known as the 
Chinese city. The wall around the Chinese city is 30 feet 
high, 25 feet wide at the base and 15 feet at the top. 
Square buttresses are built on the walls at intervals of 
60 feet, surmounted by guard houses. The two walls en- 
close an area of about 20 square miles and are 30 miles in 
circumference. 

When the Manchus captured Peking in 1644, the Tartar 
City was taken over by them for residence.^ Here they 
settled Manchu soldiers, together with the Chinese who 
had aided them in their conquest, each of the eight Chinese 
troop banners or divisions being assigned to certain 
sections of the city. From that time until the overthrow 
of the Manchu dynasty in 1912, these men and their 
descendants existed on tribute rice sent to Peking by 
the provinces. The original inhabitants were Chinese, 
Mongols and T^Ianchus, but it is now difficult to distinguish 
the races, except for the Manchu women who are easily 
recognized by their large distinctive head dress, and shoes 
with high "heel" in the middle of the foot. 

The Tartar City is intersected by six main thoroughfares, 
three running north and south from the principal gates and 
three running east and v^^est. These streets are broad and 
are kept in a fairly good state of repair. Unlike other Chin- 
ese cities farther south, Peking has a great deal of wheel- 
ed traffic — springless Peking carts drawn by mules — while 
the city's proximity to the sandy deserts of Mongolia is 
shown by the presence of many double humped Bactrian 
camels. The street life of Peking is fascinating and a visit 
to the city would be well worth while even if one never 
got behind the gates and walls and saw nothing except from 
the seat of a ricsha. Peking funerals are famous even in 
China, the home of gorgeously panoplied funerals. In this 
as in other things royalty set the fashion and lesser families 
followed the impressive royal corteges as far as their purses 
allowed. There are dozens of bands of musicians who get 
the most unearthly sounds out of instruments unlike anything 



204 HANDBOOK FOR CHINA 

an)'-where else. The hired mourners may run into the hundreds 
while the priests in their gaudy embroidered robes will 
be numerous enough to staff a fair-sized temple. The 
foreigner will be unable to tell whether the procession 
he is Viewing is in celebration of a wedding or in observance 
of a funeral until the latter part of the procession passes 
him and he is able to see whether it is a coffin or a 
bridal chair being carried. The Peking carts will be 
seen in many parts of North China but it is only in the 
capital that one finds these vehicles in the apex of their 
glory, with varnished sides, silver trimmed harness and silken 
hangings. Formerly the color of the cart hangings as 
well as the richness of the harness trappings were severely 
regulated as belonging to certain classes but there is more 
laxity now and any one who wants to use a silver harness 
buckle may do so. In the old days all officials traveled by 
Peking cart, or sedan chairs, those being the only conveyances 
of sufficient dignity, but to-day the automobile is the vehicle 
preferred. Those owned by the /wcAww^, or military chieftains, 
travel at a terrific rate of speed, with sirens going at full 
blast and usually with a couple of soldiers standing on the 
footboards. < 

Leading from these main thoroughfares are smaller 
streets, usually very crooked, which are known as hutungs. 
A trip though any hutung will give the visitor no idea of 
the really beautiful homes which are hidden by the mud 
or plaster walls. As in other parts of China the 
magnificence of the home is always carefully concealed from 
the street, and the finest residence may be hidden by the 
meanest wall. These Peking residences usually cover a large 
area and are valued more for the spaciousness of theii 
courtyards than for the buildings. Many foreigners have 
rebuilt and refurnished these houses and made them 
wonderfully attractive. 

Occupying the center of the Tartar City, and taking up 
about two square miles, or one sixth of its total area, is the 
Imperial City, surrounded by a wall 20 feet high. The four 
entrances are each pierced by a triple gateway, and, until 



PEKING 205 

the t*ownfall of the Manchu line, the middle gateway was 
opened only for the Emperor. Inside this city were the 
residences, formerly, of the princes and high Manchu officials. 
Inside this Imperial City and surrounded by its own reddish 
pink walls, is the still more exclusive Forbidden City, for 
centuries a mystery to the outside world, for until the Boxer 
trouble, no foreigners were allowed to enter it. Within it 
were the palaces, the royal residences and the quarters for 
the hundreds of servants and eunuchs. Indeed it was a city 
in itself, with a population of several thousands. The pre- 
sent palaces occupy the site marked out for the palaces of 
Kublai Khan. Indeed the spot has served as an imperial 
residence for about ten centuries, for the Liaos had a palace 
here at the end of the tenth century, and their successors 
a fev/ centuries later began the construction of the series of 
artificial lakes which have been elaborated into the present 
system. However, the Mings deserve credit for the beauties 
of the Forbidden City, and the Manchus added little to it. 
Until Peking was captured by the Allied troops in 1900 
the Forbidden City was inaccessible to any foreigner. When 
the Manchu rulers returned after their flight from the capital 
one of the measures of conciliation they adopted toward 
foreigners was a slight relaxation of their rigid policy of 
exclusion and for the first time foreign ladies were entertain- 
ed within the sacred precincts. With the establishment of 
the Republic additional parts of the place have been opened 
until now it is possible for the traveler, through his legation, 
to secure permits to visit the most interesting buildings. 
However, it is quite impossible, under any circumstances, 
to enter the part of the Forbidden City in which the young 
-ex-emperor resides. 

The best general view of the two cities of Peking can be 
gained from Chien Men, the tower on the south wall of the 
Tartar City reached from the Legation Quarter by a sloping 
roadway near the end of Canal Street. To the north of this 
point of vantage may be seen the greater part of the Imperial 
and Forbidden cities, the brilliantly colored tile roofs of the 
palaces, temples and pagodas and the busy life of the streets 



206 HANDBOOK FOR CHINA 

below combining to form a picture which cannot be duplicated 
elsewhere. One can understand, after a view from this 
ancient wall, why Peking has a population of less than one 
million despite the large area it occupies. For a long time 
this city was thought to be the largest in the world. But such 
a great part of the space is taken up with temple and palace 
enclosures and the average Chinese house of the better class 
occupies such a large amount of ground space that the 
population per square mile is probably lower than in any other 
large city. To the south, from the Chien Men, the Chinese 
City offers a less imposing view but one which is full of 
interest. The tiled roof of the Temple of Heaven can bs 
seen from here, end is one of the most conspicuous landmarks 
in Peking. From the summit of these great walls the human 
life below looks strangely small and insect-like. This portion 
of the wall between the Chienmen and Hatamen is exten- 
sively used by foreigners as a promenade. It is patrolled 
by foreign troops and no Chinese are allowed to walk on it. 
It was from the wall between the Chienmen and Hatamen 
that Chinese bombarded the Legations in 1900 and later it was 
from here that the guns of the foreign forces shelled the 
palaces. Under one of the provisions of the Boxer protocol, 
this portion of the wall was handed over to the Powers not 
only as a retributory measure but also as a means of insuring 
that the Legations be given adequate protection. It is 
patrolled by foreign troops and near the Chien Men is the 
wireless tower maintained by the American Marine corps as 
a means of ensuring that the Legations shall never again 
be cut off from communication with the outside world. This 
portion of the wall is paved and kept clear of weeds and 
brambles. The remainder of the wall is poorly cared for 
and one who attempts to walk it will usually find the going: 
through tangled vegetation rather difficult. 

Aside from the sights of Peking, the city is a fascinating 
center for the purchase of Chinese curios and art works of 
all kinds. In variety of curios, no other city surpasses it and 
those who intend doing shopping of this kind should resist 
the temptation to purchase elsewhere unless it be at one of 



PEKING— LEGATION QUARTS 20/ 

the larger shops m Shanghai. For many centuries the 
finest products of the weaver, porcelain maker, artist and 
other craftsmen came to Peking either as tribute to the ruling 
family or were brought here for the collections of rich 
officials. In addition, there may be found many European 
jewels which somehow or other have found their way into 
the Peking shops. The city has been looted many times and 
from year to year one hears that the stocks of embroideries 
or porcelains are diminishing. But the source of supply, the 
treasures of prominent families which fall on evil days, seems 
to be inexhaustible. The types of porcelains and embroideries 
found elsewhere may be purchased in Peking and the local 
shops offer many things not usually found in other cities. 
Among these are Thibetan and Mongolian brass and Mongol- 
ian carpets and rugs. Among the modern manufactures in 
which Peking leads are cloisonne and lanterns. Peking is 
also a center for the manufacture of the woolen rug which 
has become known to foreigners as the ''Tientsin rug.'' 

The sights of Peking are so numerous that one can spend 
several v/eeks there and leave without having seen all of the 
important ones. The Temple of Heaven would probably 
head any list of attractions with perhaps the Lama Temple 
coming second, but few will ever agree as to the relative 
interest or importance of the dozens of others. In addition 
to these places inside the city, there are many others outside : 
the Great Wall, the Ming Tombs, Summer Palaces, Yellow 
Temple, etc. No attempt is made in this book to arrange any 
set itinerary. New roads are being opened up and new 
transportation systems put in which will disarrange the best 
laid guide book plan. Cook's or the hotel management can 
give all necessary information. 

Legation Quarter.— hike most of modern Peking, the 
Legation Quarter dates from the time of the Boxers for 
since that time a definitely marked and adequately protected 
quarter has replaced the older group of legations which were 
separated by Chinese residences and official buildings. 
Adjoining the southern wall of the Tartar City, the quarter 
is separated on ail sides from the city itself by walls and 



208 • HANDBOOK FOR CHINA 

open spaces. On the south there is the Tartar Wal! t>atrolle6 
by foreign troops and on the north the wide glacis on which 
no buildings or other obstructions are allowed. Under the 
terms of the Boxer protocol no Chinese are allowed to reside 
in the Legation Quarter and on the other hand no foreigners 
except missionaries are supposed to live outside. However, 
hn times of stress and political uncertainty the quarter is 
filled with Chinese refugees, while as the quarter is small and 
inadequate, foreign business men reside in all parts of the 
Tartar City, Here they are not officially recognized unless 
they are indiscreet enough to mark their places of business 
with signs too blatantly large. The Legation Quarter is 
removed from Chinese control and is administered by the 
foreign legations 

Though the quarter is quite modern, its history goes back 
two hundred years^ for the church in the Russian Legation 
was erected in 1727 for the use of Russian missionaries, while 
the site of the Russian Legation was the residence of several 
of the Russian embassies and special missions which visited 
China in the latter part of the seventeenth century. 

However, the British legation is actually the oldest, hav- 
ing been established after the Treaty of Tientsm was signed. 
It was formerly the residence of the thirty-third son of Em- 
peror Kang Hsi and was leased to the British government. 
The original form of the buildings has been retained as far 
as possible. More recently the sites of the Han Lin college 
and of the Imperial Carriage Park were incorporated in the 
legation grounds. The Imperial Carriage Park was formerly 
used to stable the elephants sent as tribute from Annam. 
Although the fiercest fighting in the Boxer siege was at the 
French Legation the British compound sheltered the greatest 
number of refugees and almost every foot of the soil was 
stained with blood. A portion of the old wall, marked with 
many bullet holes, has been preserved near the Jade Canal. 

The French Legation was established about the same 
tjme as the British and occupies its original site, though some 
additional land has been acquired. The other legations are 
more modern. Ons of the least attractive is the American, 



PEKING -TEMPLE 01? HEAVEN 209 



for the American Congress has always proven niggardly in 
housing its consular and diplomatic officials in the Far East. 

Temple of Heaven. — In the southern extremity of the 
Chinese City is the Temple of Heaven and nearby is its 
accompanying sanctuary, the Altar of Agriculture. They 
are reached by following Chien Men Street through the 
Chinese City from its northern terminus, the Chien Men, 
quite near the Legation Quarter. The Temple of Heaven is 
surrounded by a wall 3>^ miles in circumference. The 
grounds are filled with gnarled old cypress, fir and pine trees 
and served as a pasturage for the oxen sacrificed in the 
annual -worship by the Emperor. No permit is required to 
visit this place, but a small admission fee is charged. 

For centuries before the establishment of the Republic 
the Emperor prayed here semi-annually, with special prayers 
during times of famine, drouth or other national calami- 
ties. The ceremonies were most imposing, the Emperor 
being accompanied by thousands of the highest officials, 
and they in turn by many minor officials, all escorted by 
many thousands of soldiers and servants, the entire company 
being gorgeously clad in gowns elaborate according to their 
rank. The great pageant composed of these thousands of 
officials and courtiers formed at the palace in the Forbidden 
City the day before the ceremony and proceeded to the 
temple along Chien Men Street. All the houses along the 
route were closed during the progress of the procession and 
no one was permitted to view it. The Emperor spent the 
night on the grounds in prayer and fasting and the ceremony 
was held the following morning at dawn. The worship of 
Heaven by the Emperor or */Son of Heaven" was the survival 
of an ancient nature worship much older than Taoism or 
Confucianism. The worship was not alone to Heaven, but 
also to the tablets of four imperial ancestors, the sun, moon 
clouds, rain, etc., though these were looked upon as minor 
deities. Separate temples for the sun, moon and patrons of 
agriculture are erected in Peking. 

The principal structure within the enclosure is the Altar 
of Heaven (Tien Tan), the most sacredobject in China. *'It 



210 



HANDBOOK FOR CHIN^ 



consists of three circular terraces with marble balustrades 
and triple stair cases at the four cardinal points to ascend 
the upper terrace, which is 90 feet wide, the base being 210 
feet across. The platform is laid with marble stones in nine 
concentric circles and everything is arranged in multiples 
of the number nine . The Emperor, prostrate before 
Heaven on the altar, surrounded first by the circle of 
the terraces and their railings, and then by the hor- 
izon seems to be in the center o£ the universe, as he 
acknowledges himself inferior to Heaven, and to Heaven 
alone. Round him on the pavement are figured the nine 
circles of as many heavens, widening in successive multiples 
till the square of nine, the favorite number of numerical 
philosophy, is reached in the outer circle of eighty-one stones." 
In the northern part of the upper terrace is a seat where 
Shang-ti, the Ruler of Heaven, was supposed to sit during 
the ceremony, beside it being shrines of the "witnessing 
saints," ancestors of the Emperor. No foreigner ever 
witnessed this ceremony, though some have seen the place 
as prepared for the visit of the Emperor when it was 
decked with lanterns and standards and many ornaments 
and decorations of archaic significance. The ritual itself 
has been described by Dr. John Ross in ''The Original 
Religions of China." No priests of any religion ever 
officiated and the elaborate ceremonies were carried out 
by court officials who in preparation for it underwent months 
of training and instruction. 

^Near the altar in one corner of the enclosure is the 
furnace of green tiles where the sacrificial bullock was 
placed at the time of worship. The sacrifice was a calf 
without blemish and of uniform color. The eight metal 
braziers which partly encircle the altar were used for the 
burnt offerings of silk and also for the written prayers 
after they had been formally read to the sacred tablets. The 
black tiled building near the altar was used for the storage 
of the tablets and other paraphernalia of worship. 

North of the Altar of Heaven is a smaller altar of the 
same design known as the Altar of Prayer for Grain (Chi 



Picking — TKmpl^ o^ heaven 211 

Ku Tan.) The approach is very impressive over a raised 
marble tiled avenue, with groves of evergreen on either side. 
About midway may be seen the platform provided for the 
Emperor's resting tent. On the upper terrace of this altar 
is the building known as the Temple of the Happy Year 
(Chi Nien Tien.) The building, 99 feet high, is the highest 
in the enclosure, and its roof can be seen from the south 
wall of the Tartar City. The triple roofs supported by 
massive pillars are covered with blue tiles, blue being the 
symbolical color for the worship at this temple, which took 
place each spring, the Emperor being the chief ritualist. 
The sacrificial vessels used on this occasion were of blue and 
all who took part were robed in a similar color, the effect 
being heightened by the fact that the v/indows were hung 
with Venetian blinds made of rods of blue glass. This 
building is a very modern structure for the older one was 
struck by lightning in 1889, because, according to popular 
Chinese belief , an impious and foolhardy centipede climbed 
to the gilded ball at the top. When rebuilt every care was 
taken to reproduce the older building in all details but it 
was impossible to find native timbers strong and long enough 
to support the massive roof. Oregon pine was turned to and 
the pillars used were secured and transported from Portland 
to Peking at great expense. A f ev/ unimportant and dusty 
pieces of furniture is all that can be found inside the hall. 
One object which seems strangely out of place is an electric 
light-fixture. The place was lighted in the early days of the 
Republic for the convenience of the Committee for Drafting 
the Constitution who thought to give this document (which 
was not completed in 1920) an added sanctity by making the 
Altar its birthplace. The buildings around the temple are 
uninteresting, consisting of guard rooms, places for the 
storage of paraphernalia, provisions, etc. 

Near the principal entrance to the grounds and usually 
the first building shown to the visitor is the Palace of 
Abstinence, surrounded by a moat, where the Emperor spent 
the night in fasting before the ceremony. The place 



212 HANDBOOK FOR CHINA 

formerly contained a throne and handsome furniture but 
these have been removed. 

The grounds have on several occasions been closed to 
foreigners because of gross disrespect to the sanctity of the 
place. It has suffered, at times from neglect. Weeds have 
been allowed to grow up between the marble tiles of the 
altar itself and the avenues have been obstructed. Walls fell 
into disrepair and the place became a refuge for avaricious 
menials who held up every visitor. In 1917 General Chang 
Hsun, in his attempt to restore the monarchy, camped his 
troops here and the republicans shelled the temple but without 
doing any serious damage. More recently there has been 
a serious attempt to preserve the beauties of the place and 
make them accessible to Chinese and foreigners alike. New 
roads have been built and underbrush cleared away and 
the hangers-on who formerly battened on tourists have been 
banished from the sacred precincts. 

Every conqueror of China took to himself the privilege 
and responsibility of worshipping at the Altar of Heaven; 
and the chief functionary has at various times been of 
Chinese, Mongol or Manchu blood. But though custom and 
tradition would allow this elevated station of chief ritualist 
to be transferred, even to one ^^f another race, they would not 
brook a change in government. When Yuan Shih Kai assum- 
ed the dictatorship of China, under the title of president, he 
sought to prepare the way for his imperial program by 
assuming the functions of the Son of Heaven. One may 
safely presume that this astute politician made every 
preparation to assure the success of the ceremony but it was 
a flat failure. The idea was repugnant to ti}e Chinese and 
there was no second attempt. 

Temple of Agriculture. — This temple is situated across 
the avenue from the Temple of Heaven and is known in 
Chinese as Shen Nung Tan, i. e., *' Altar dedicated to Shen 
Nung. " Shen Nung is the mythical emperor who ruled 
China about 3000 B. C. and who is credited with the invention 
of the plow, the institution of markets and the discovery of 
the value of herbs. (See page 197.) 



PEKING — LAMA TEMPLE ^^^ 

It was here that the Emperor anntially, on tlie first day oi 
the spring season worshipped the tablet of Shen Nung and at 
the same time paid tribute to the respect in which the Chinese 
hold the vocation of a farmer. Attired in a peasant's garb of 
imperial yellow he plowed three furrows from east to west, 
being attended by officials who flourished whips, held the 
seeds, etc. The officials then finished the field which was 
carefully cultivated and the crop kept for use in special 
sacrificial ceremonies. Similar ceremonies were observed 
at the same time in all the provinces. 

The imperial plow, the costume worn by the emperor and 
many other objects of interest were formerly on display 
here but the halls in which they were kep/: have been closed 
and sealed. 

Originally the Temple of Agriculture was much like the 
Temple of Heaven but attempts to modernize it have greatly 
changed the character of the place. Upon the altars are now- 
erected pavilions of a semi-modern type, used as band-stands 
and tea-houses. On national holidays this place becomes an 
ordinary Chinese fair and is thronged by thousands of 
people. 

Lama Temple.— This show place of Peking, (really not a 
temple but a monastery) is on Hatamen street near the north 
wall of the Tartar City. It is easily reached by ricsha from 
any hotel. Although an admission fee is charged and notices 
urgently request visitors not to give tips, they may expect to 
be annoyed by the impudent Mongol monks. 

Although there are several temples in Peking devoted to 
this unattractive form of Buddhism, this monastery is the 
most important Lama and Mongol center, being the official 
residence of a Living Buddha, although he does not actually 
live there. It is known to the Chinese as Yung Ho Kung, or 
"Lamasery of Eternal Peace." Originally the residence of 
Yung Cheng, before he came to the throne, that monarch 
stored up merit in the Lama heaven and at the same time 
strengthened his hold on the loyalty of his Mongol and 
Tibetan subjects by dedicating the property to the Lamas* 
According to old Chinese practices no building once occupied 



214 HANDBOOK FOR CHINA 

hy an Emperor could ever be used as a dwelling place. Since 
his day many emperors have used this monastery as a means 
of controlling Tibetans and Mongols, for the abbots hold 
important places in the elaborate and complicated hierarchy 
of Lamaism. Many of the valuable articles the monastery 
contains are imperial presents. Even the republican govern- 
ment takes particular pains not to offend the 1500 dirty 
monks who make this their home. However, Republican 
support is not so munificent as v/as that given by the 
monarchs. Money grants have been cut off and the 
monastery is no longer the recipient of its former opulent 
revenue. Perhaps that is one of the reasons why foreigners, 
once so rigidly excluded, are now welcomed because the 
admittance fees they pay as well as the tips they give, eke out 
a scanty revenue. Formerly the place was difficult of entry 
and many travelers had disagreeable experiences, for the 
ill-favored monks would surround and threaten them in what 
was usually a successful attempt to ext:rt illegal fees. 
Conditions are better now and it is only in the more secluded 
places that one is annoyed and then, usually, by an impudent 
neophyte. It is interesting to note that these monks, who are 
all Mongol or Tibetan, have scorned to learn Chinese, 
but many of them have picked up a little pidgin English as 
a means of getting money from foreigners. 

The temple grounds are quiet and secluded, and shaded by 
ancient trees. On entering, one passes through a long wide 
avenue past the living quarters of the monks. These poorly 
ventilated cells have accumulated the filth of centuries and 
have doubtless furnished the setting for many a weird crime. 
Like most Buddhist structures in China, the monastery con- 
sists of a series of semi-detached buildings grouped about 
courtyards. The buildings, though in a sad state of decay, 
are decked with wonderful carvings and the courtyards are 
paved with flagstones. The equipment of sacerdotal para- 
phernalia is said to be the most complete in China. 

In the first courtyard to be entered is a pair of bronze 
lions worthy of more than passing attention because they arc 
remarkable examples of casting. In another courtyard is a 



PEKING — LAMA TKMPL^ 21S 

huge stone monument inscribed on its four sides with the 
history of Lamaism in the Chinese, Manchu, Tibetan and 
Mongol languages. Prayer wheels, which one may turn, 
and thereby acquire the merit of having said a thousand 
prayers, are numerous. 

The principal object of interest in the monastery is the 
huge image of Maitreya, the Buddhist redeemer, over 70 feet 
high, which stands in a building in the northern part of the 
enclosure. The temple attendants say this image is "seventy 
elbows high," that being the height the pious lam^i is suppos- 
ed to reach in his reincarnation. They also assert that the 
image was carved from a single tree trunk and brought from 
Tibet. It passes through several successive stories of the 
building it occupies and around it is built a staircase which 
the devout must climb. A huge praying wheel in the same 
building is almost as high as the image. It is curious to note 
that this stern image of Maitreya represents the same god 
that Chinese Buddhism depicts as a fat-bellied smiling crea- 
ture. 

The monastery abounds in objects which are held in high 
esteem by lamas. In one of the principal halls is an incon- 
spicuous and somewhat crude and ugly image of Buddha. 
The story goes that Emperor Chien Lung dreamed of the 
existence of this image in a temple on the borders of Tibet. 
A monk was sent to bring the image to Peking and 
after several miraculous experiences succeeded in finding it 
and started to return with the image tied on his back. 
But he had to travel through Russian territory and the monk 
had a great deal of trouble finding his v/ay as he did 
not speak Russian. He tried to learn the language and 
failed. But the image found no difficulty about understand- 
ing it and acted as interpreter throughout the long trip. The 
visitor will usually have this image pointed ctLt to him as 
soon as he enters the building. It can be distinguished from 
the other gods by its yellow silk cape and hoG«i- 

The many objects of greater or lesser interest in the 
monastery are too numerous for detailed description. They 
include a golden model of paradise, a replica of the great 



216 ' HANDBOOK £"0E CHINA 

Lamasery in Lhasa, images of the two hippopotami which 
made a murderous but unsuccessful attack on Chien Lung and 
of the two grotesque servants who saved their royal mastel". 

In a side hall not often visited by foreigners but acces- 
sible to those who are persistent is a group of strange and 
often obscene images which depict the grosser forms of 
Lamaism, which appear to be connected with an older Phallic 
cult. 

Visitors should plan to see the Lama monastery either 
early in the morning or late in the afternoon for then they 
may have an opportunity of seeing and hearing the very 
interesting matin or vesper services in which many of the 
monks take part. Clad in their yellov/, orange or brick red 
costumes the monks file into the hall and kneel about the 
abbot who by lifting a bunch of peacock feathers gives the 
signal for the service to begin. There is a burst of cymbals, 
drums and conch shells, a weird harmony which sounds 
like nothing else on earth. A chant follows in which a prayer 
is recited time after time and meanwhile the monks make 
strange gestures, mysterious to the stranger, and perhaps 
obscure to most of the worshippers for the k^ias have ever 
been more scrupulous about carrying out the forms of their 
religion than about learning the spirit which the forms 
represent. 

Those who visit Peking in the right season many be 
fortunate enough to see the famous Lama ** devil dance" 
which is held annually on the 30th day of the first Chinese 
moon. This is largely attended by Chinese for although no 
Chinese is a lama, many have some belief in the efficacy of 
lama superstitions. " After a long period of waiting, 
patiently endured, several beings half human, half devil, 
suddenly hurl themselves into the very midst of the expectant 
throng. Their costumes are weird, resembling those of Red 
Indian Medicine men. Death's head masks cover their faces, 
red painted flames lick their limbs from foot to knee, and in 
their hands they carry fearsome-looking long-lashed whips to 
be used in clearing a space for the dance. With demoniacal 
;yells they dash about, pushing back the crowd and beating 



PEKING— TEMPLE OF £0NFUCIUS 217 

.the unwary till they have made sufficient room. Then from 
the temple emerges a strange procession of dancers. They 
also wear strange vestments of many colors and huge ghastly 
masks of bird or beast. To the slow and measured cadence 
of unmelodious music, to the sound of hand drums and great 
drums, small flutes and great flutes, and pandean pipes of a 
form unknown to Western Pan, they advance in fours 
bowing and circling, their heads lolling from side to side 
with the time and movement of their bodies. The per- 
formance, which lasts for hours to the immense delight 
of the crowd, w^ho, regardless of the attentions of the long 
whipped devils, draw closer in an ever diminishing circle, 
culminates in the cutting up of an effigy of the Evil Spirit."* 

Temple of Confucius. — The Confucian temple is located 
in the grounds of the Kuo Tzu Chien, the old national 
university of China. The chief object of interest in the large 
hall of the temple is the ancestral tablet of the sage enshrined 
in an alcove. Tablets of four sages and disciples flank 
the tablet of Confucius, while tablets of many other disciples 
are placed in the hall. Before the alcove stands the conven- 
tional ** sacrifical set of five," 1 incense burner, 2 candlesticks 
and 2 flower vases. The table in front is for the sacrificial 
offerings. Above the alcove are four Chinese characters 
meaning "The Model Teacher of a Myriid Ages," a tribute 
paid to Confucius by Emperor K'ang Hsi. Th^ tabLts on the 
roof are also in praise of Confucius, being presented to the 
temple by various Emperors. 

There is more of interest in the courtyard, where will 
be found ten roughly chiseled boulders inscribed with a 
description of a great hunting expedition which King Shan 
undertook nearly three thousand years ago. The stones are 
known as the " stone drums of the Chow dynasty.'* It will be 
noticed that one of the drum.s has been cut off and hollowed 
out as a mortar, thus destroying a part of the inscription. 
Grief over this mutilation is expressed in several famous 
j)oems. The stones were discover^4 ia the seventh century 



"•Peking** by Julliet Bredon. 



218 IIANDBCOK FOR CHINA 

and 800 years ago they were considered such valuable 
antiquities that a special palace was built for their exhibition 
at the then capital of Honanf u and the inscriptions were filled 
with gold. When the Tartars captured Honan they dug out 
the gold and carried the stones to Peking. So many rubbings 
have been taken that the inscriptions are now indecipherable. 
Stone tablets in the courtyard bear the names of all those 
who have taken literary degrees for five centuries. Huge 
monuments, standing on carved stone tortoises in the main 
courtyard, are covered with inscriptions telling of the sue- 
cessful wars undertaken by the Manchu Emperors. 

The Hall of Classics. — This structure, called the Pi Yung 
Kung, adjoins the national university in which the Temple 
of Confucius stands and may be entered from the temple 
grounds. The hall is of a pure type of Chinese architecture 
being modeled on ancient lines, though the present building 
was: erected by Chien Lung, ''It is a lofty square building 
with a four-sided roof covered with tiles enameled imperial 
yellow, and surmounted by a large gilded ball, encircled by 
a pillared verandah under a second projecting roof of yellow 
tiles. The four sides consist, each one, of seven pairs of 
folding doors with tracery panels. It is surrounded by a 
circular moat with marble balustrades crossed by four 
bridges leacfing to the central doors." Along the main 
courtyard sheltered by buildings stand three hundred stone 
steles covered with inscriptions comprising the complete 
texts of the nine classics. This was done in order to prevent 
their possible destruction, as was attempted by Shih Hwang- 
ti. The characters are disposed in page size so that rubbings 
taken could be conveniently bound up in book form. 

It was formerly the custom for the Emperor to come 
here on state occasions, and, seated on the tkrone provided 
for the occasion, expound the classics. The throne building 
contains tablets, to the memory of several well-known 
Emperors. A magnificent porcelain pailow stands in one 
part of the courtyard, displaying a dedicatory tablet. The 
pailow is. constructed of marble and tiles and is one of the 



PEKING— DRUM AND BJ,LL TO'vVi:?.S 219 

finest structures of the kind in China. An interesting o!d 
sun-dial stands in the main courtyard. 

The Drum Tower. — In return for a small tip, the keeper 
of the Drum Tower several blocks west of the Hall of 
Classics will allow the visitor to climb to the top of 
the structure. This is reached by means of 75 rather 
uncomfortable steps which lead to a height of 130 
feet, where an excellent view of the Tartar City is obtained. 
The tower is one of the landmarks of Peking as it can be seen 
from nearly all parts of the city. 

Formerly the hours of the watch were marked here by a 
clepsydra, an instrument which measured time by the 
trickling of water, but a clock is now used. 

The Bell Tower. — Between the Drum Tov/er -and 
the northern wall stands the Bell Tower, containing one of 
the five great bells ordered to be cast by Emperor Yung-lo, 
who built the famous porcelain pagoda of Nanking. The bell 
stands on a platform 130 feet above the street level. 
According to local tradition the casting of the bell was 
attended by considerable difficulty and several attempts 
resulted in imperfect specimens. The Emperor finally 
became angry and announced that another failure would 
result in the execution of the bell maker. The beautiful 
daughter of the bell maker visited a shrine to pray for her 
father's success and was told in a dream that the bell would 
be a success only if a life was sacrificed in the casting. 
When the molten metal was turned into the mould, she 
jumped into it, and the bell was a success. Credulous 
Chinese are still able to hear low moans of pain proceeding 
from the bell. Visitors will hear the bell only at 8:30 at 
night, when the watch is changed, and its deep tones can be 
heard in all parts of the city. 

Having told this story it is only fair to state it really 
applies to another and more remarkable bell to be found at 
the Buddhist temple Ta Chung Ssu, or "Big Bell Temple," 
2^2 miles west of the city. This bell is the most famous of 
the five cast by Emperor Yung Lo and the legend told above 
as well as the dimensions and the description, has been 



220 HANDBOOK FOR CHI.NA 

applied to the more accessible bell in the tower. The bell in 
Big Bell Temple is 14 feet high, 36 feet in circumference and 
weighs 60 tons. It is said to be the largest suspended bell in 
the world and is certainly the most remarkable. Both the 
inside and the outside of the bell as well as the mechanism 
with which it is hung are covered with Chinese characters, 
consisting of extracts from the Fa Hun Ching and Ling Yen 
Ching. These characters are not inscribed, as is usually said, 
but were cast with the bell. The bell was cast about 1408 
where it now stands and th^ ground excavated from beneath 
it. It was covered over in a temple in 1578. The bell in the 
tower, though quite remarkable for its size and workmanship, 
13 in both respects inferior to the one in the temple. 

Astronomical Observatory, — This is in the south-eastern 
part of the Tartar City, adjoining the eastern wall. The 
©bservatory formerly marked the southeast corner of the 
Mongol capital under Kublai Khan, but when the capital 
was rebuilt for the occupancy of the Mings, the southern 
wall was carried further to the south. This is the oldest 
astronomical observatory in the world, having been built by 
Kublai Khan in 1279 and equipped at that time with bronze 
instruments made by a celebrated Chinese astronomer. It 
was not until three hundred years later that Europe had 
Its first observatory, founded by Frederick III of Denmark 
in 1576. However, the building is not so ancient as the site 
on which it stands for about 100 years ago the original 
structure was replaced and the present ouilding is even more 
modern. 

The principal instruments are on top of the tower, about 
ten feet higher than the city wall, from which there was 
formerly an entrance, but the place cannot be entered now 
from che wall but through the buildings below, where some 
of the instruments are to be seen. Visitors are supposed to 
be admitted only on certain days and on presenting cards 
from their legation but those who go arc rarely.turned away. 

Most of the instruments now in the observatory were 
made under the direction of the Jesuit Priest Verbiest, who 
was placed in charge of the observatory as head of the 



PEKING— EXAMINATION HALL 221 

Imperial Board of Mathematics. Verbicst was in charge of 
the observatory until 1688 and taught the Chinese astronom.ical 
science as known to the Europeans, ''The Chinese proved 
themselves apt pupils. They soon learned to compute 
eclipses but when the moment of the eclipse arrived, the 
Members of the Honorable Board reverted to their old habits. 
Arrayed in the official robes, they assembled in the courtyard 
and frantically beat tomtoms to scare away the dragon 
about to swallow the sun or moon." The instruments 
Verbiest had made were copies of older Chinese models, 
except that the circles were divided into 360 degrees instead 
of 365i, which was the old Chinese system, allowing one 
degree for each day in the year. One of the instruments was 
presented to the Emperor of China by Eouis XIV of France. 
When Peking was looted by the foreign troops in 1900 some 
of the finest instruments from this observatory were taken 
by the Germans and sent to decorate a terrace in Potsdam. 
The looted instruments were replaced by copies half the size 
of originals. When the treaty of Versailles was signed, 
Germany agreed to return the originals, China thus gaining 
the booby prize of the Great War, as this was her sole reward 
for joining the Allies. -^ 

Site of Old Examination Hall — This is west of the 
Legation Quarter just inside the city wall and north of the 
Astronomical Observatory. From this vantage point the 
visitor can see all he needs to see of the historic spot. The 
large compound was formerly filled with prison-like stalls 
which are now torn down, the intention being to erect 
here a building to house the Chinese Legislature. Under 
the old regime students met here to compete for the metro- 
politan degree, the highest which couiJ be a\Karded under 
the old Chinese system of civil service, ia which promotion in 
of^cial life was gained only through literary merit. Long 
before the examination halls were torn down, the system of 
which they formed a part had decayed and what once had 
been the most advanced method of selecting civil servants had 
degenerated into an elaborate system of bribery and cor- 
ruption. But the old forms remained long after the spirit of 



222 HANDBOOK FOR CHINA 

the institution had departed. Every third year candidates 
came from the provinces and suffered themselves to be locked 
into the bare cells for three days and two nights while they 
wrote essays on Confucian ethics in order to prove their 
fitness to collect taxes, administer laws, build bridges,, 
suppress piracy and perform the many other legislative^ 
administrative and judicial functions demanded of a Chinese 
official. 

By one of his reform edicts of 1898 the Emperor Kuang 
Hsu sought to abolish this old system and two years later the 
examination halls were partially destroyed during the Boxer 
troubles. According to Peking gossip the bricks were carried 
away to be used in rebuilding the Legation Quarter. 

The old Imperial Granaries where Manchu tribute rice 
was collected can also be seen from the Observatory. The 
buildings are now falling into decay and have been unused 
for a decade. 

Nfitioiial Art Mnsemn, — During the brief period that he 
ruled China as president or dictator. Yuan Shih Kai initiated 
many reforms and improvements and one iz7 which he 
deserves great credit is the establishment of an art museum, 
w^ithin the Forbidden City, but accessible to all. 

It occupies buildings which were formerly used as halls 
of audience for military officials= This museum, about 
twenty minutes from the Legation Quarter by ricsha, is open 
to all on the payment of a small fee. The art objects are 
largely taken from the old imperial collections formerly kept 
at Moukden and jehQi and rem.oved to Peking following the 
Manchu abdication, it is without doubt the most complete 
collection of Chinese art to be found anywhere and it is of 
tremendous value, some expert valuations being as high as 
$100,000,000. The collection is so large that the exhibition 
halls are crowded to the ceilings and yet there is not room 
for all and many priceless objects are stored in adjoining 
buildings. Foreign experts aided in the arrangement of the 
museum but it is to be regretted that the Chinese government 
has not seen fit to issue a catalog in Englii^h, for though each 



ALTAR 01^ EARTH 22 J 

piece is marked with a Chinese card, the visitor who does not 
know that language is at a disadvantage. 

In the main hall will be seen cloisonne, lacquer, porce-' 
lains, paintings, carved ivory and jade, embroideries and 
typical examples of other forms of Chinese art. In Pl 
separate hall just outside the entrance to the main hall of the 
museum is found a wonderful collection of old bronzes, most 
of them dating from 1000 to 1500 B. C. The student of 
Chinese art should visit this hall first as that will give him 
an opportunity to observe how the forms of the earlier 
bronzes were copied in the later porcelains. The museum is 
so arranged that one may casually inspect its treasures in an 
hour or two but the serious student of Chinese art can 
profitably spend days in any one of the many sections. 

According to Dr. John C. Ferguson in his '' Outlines 
of Chinese Art" this is ''unique among the museums of the 
world. In architectural design and detail and in historical 
surroundings, as well as in the examples of art products 
stored within its walls, this museum is exclusively and 
characteristically Chinese. The bronzes and jades, paintings 
and manuscripts, pottery and porcelain, inks and writing 
brushes, all owe their common origin to the genius of 
the Chinese race. This museum has not needed to borrow 
from other nations examples of an earlier art, out of which. 
its own development has directly or indirectly sprung ; on the 
contrary, the art spirit which found its expression in these 
various forms during the historic period joins hands even 
with the earliest mythological and legendary tradiaons of 
the country. " 

Altar Of Earth— Tht Ti Tan Miao or Altar of Earth is 
located just outside of the north wall of the Tartar City 
and to the east of the An Ting Men, being separated from the 
Lama and Confucian temples only by the city wall and moat. 
The Altar of Earth is square instead of round like the Altar 
of Heaven, it being the ancient belief of the Chinese that 
heaven was round and the earth square. The main altar is 
composed of two terraces io6 feet across, and the enclosure 
is surrounded by a moat. The structure is chiefly of white 



224 HANDBOOK rOR CHINA 

marble, while owing to the use of tiles the predominant color 
is yellow, not necessarily because yellow is the imperial color^ 
but because it is the symbolical color for earth just as blue 
is for heaven, red for the sun, greenish-white for the moon^ 
etc. 

Worship at this altar was conducted by the emperor as at 
the Altar of Heaven but the ceremony, conducted during the 
summer solstice, was on a smaller scale. Offerings of bul~ 
locks, etc. were made as at the Altar of Heaven, but here they 
were buried in the ground instead of burned. The present 
altar dates back to Mongol times. 

The Botanical And Zoological Gardens. — These are in 
one large enclosure a few miles directly west from the Hsi 
Chih Men, the gate from which the trip to the Summer Palace 
is made or the station of the Kalgan railway reached. The 
gardens are connected with the city by a good carriage road 
and the visit could be made at the same time as the trip to the 
Summer Palace is taken. The "Old Buddha" (the Empress 
Dowager) spent a great deal of care on these gardens. 

The pleasure boats she used can still be seen there and 
other pleasure boats are for hire and thus trips around the 
garden or the moat can be taken in comfort. The gardens 
have been modernized. An entrance marked by three fine 
buildings graces the frontage. 

The gardens as. a whole are kept in fine condition, and 
with their winding paths, camel back bridges, pavilions of 
many styles, tea-houses, etc. this place is fast becoming a 
pleasure resort for the people of the city who care for a day 
amidst trees and flowers. 

The Zoological Garden is also well worth seeing and is 
well kept. The entrance is by ticket to be had at the gate 
for 20 cents. 

Coal Hill. — Just to the north of the Forbidden City and 
enclosed by a wall which forms the northern boundary of the 
city is an artifical mound 210 feet high variously known as 
Coal Hill, Prospect Hill, or City Mountain — one of the 
prettiest sp-Ots in Peking. According to local tradition^ the 
mound was partly formed during the Mongol dynasty by huge 



MOHAMMEDAN MOSQUES 22$ 

Stores of coal when revolution threatened. If this is true 
there are no evidences now of the store of fuel, for the place is* 
covered by grass and trees, the whole forming an attractive' 
park. There are many theories as to the reason for building 
the hill which is obviously artificial, the most generally accept-' 
ed being that it was built of earth taken from the moats and 
canals. The hill terminates in five summits, on each of which a 
temple has been built. The last Emperor of the Mings hanged' 
himself on one of the trees in the enclosure, when Peking^ 
was taken by rebels, a short time before the Manchu oc- 
cupation of the capital. 

Several holes have been bored into the hill at different 
times but no coal was ever found. According to Chinese' 
belief, the hill serves a very useful purpose of feng shui 
warding off from the Forbidden City the evil influences 
which come from the north. 

Ti Wang Miao. — This, the Walhalla of China, is on the 
avenue leading to the west gate of the Tartar City. It is 
a collection of halls wherein the tablets of all the 
monarchs of China from the remote ages are worshiped. 
The rule for admission is to accept ''all save the vicious and 
oppressive, those who were assassinated and those who lost 
their kingdoms. This memorial temple was opened in 1522. 
The Manchus have even admitted some of the Tartar rulers 
of the Kin and Liao dynasties, raising the total number of 
tablets to nearly three hundred. It is an impressive sight, 
these simple tablets of men who once ruled the Middle 
Kingdom, standing here side by side^ vvorshiped by their 
successors that their spirits may bless the state. The selection 
of the good sovereigns alone recalls to mind the custom in 
ancient Jerusalem of allowing wacked princes no plac€ in the 
sepulchres of the Kings. Distinguished statesmen of all 
ages, called by the Chinese Kwoh-chu, or 'pillars of state,' 
are associated with their masters in this temple, as not un- 
worthy to receive equal honors.'' 

Moha^iimedan Mosques. — There are about 40 small; 
mosques in Peking, but the principal one is to be found on 
the street outside the south-west wall of the Imperial City. 



226 HANDBOOK ^OR CHINA 

The principal building of the mosque was burned se^^eral 
years ago and has not been rebuilt, the services being con- 
ducted in a small side building, where the Mohammedans 
assemble every Friday for prayer. The most interesting 
object it contains is a great stone monument dedicated to the 
mosque by Emperor Chien Lung. The inscriptions are in 
Turkish, Manchu and Chinese. Other stones about the place 
bear inscriptions in Turkish and Arabic, which languages 
are spoken by many of the Chinese attendants. 

Yellozv Temple — About a half-hour's ricsha ride north 
of An Ting Men (gate) is the great Yellow Temple (Hwang 
Kung) x:omposed of two buildings erected in 1651 and 1722. 
One was intended as a place of residence for Dalai Lamas on 
their visits to Pekmg and the other for the entertainment of 
Mongol princes when they came to the capital with tribute. 
The grounds cover a vast area and the buildings still show 
evidences of their former magnificence though they are now 
neglected and are fast falling into decay. The idols it 
contains are more of the Tibetan or Indian type than of the 
Chinese. This was formerly a celebrated factory for the 
production of religious paraphernalia for the temples of 
Mongolia and Tibet. Many of the curious Tibetan prayer 
wheels, incense burners etc. offered for sale in the Peking 
curio shops are produced at this temple. 

The chief glory of the place is the white marble stupa or 
dagoba built by the Emperor Chien Lung in memory of the 
Panchan Bogdo, the Grand Lama of Tashilhunpo, who died 
there of smallpox on November 12, 1780. His robes were 
buried under this stupa, although his cremated remains were 
carried back in a gold casket to Tibet. "The stupa is modeled 
on Tibetan lines, adhering generally to the ancient Indian 
type, but differing in that the dome is inverted. The spire or 
toran, composed of thirteen steplike segments, symbolical of 
the thirteen Buddhist heavens, is surmounted by a large 
cupola of gilded bronze. It is mounted on a series of angular 
plinths, posed upon a solid base of octagonal form. On the 
eight sides are sculptured in high relief scenes in the life of 
the deceased lama, including the preternatural circum.stances 



. SUMMER PALACB 227 

attendant on his birth, his entrance into the priesthood, 
combats with heretics, instruction of disciples, and death. " 
This stupa, one of the best examples of modern Chinese 
sculpture, was wantonly mutilated in 1900 by the Japanese 
troops quartered in the temple during the Boxer uprising. 

The temple is the scene of an interesting ceremony 
during the first moon, when the evil spirits are driven away 
by exorcisms and incantations, many of the lamas appearing 
hideously disguised as black and white demons. The 
ceremony, accompanied by strange dances, terminates at noon 
when a painted statue of a demon is placed on a pile of hay 
and burned by the living Buddha. 

The priests who insist on acting as guides and demand large 
sums for their services do not know a word of English and 
are only annoying. A guide should be brought from the city. 
Summer Palace. — A macadam road leads from the Hsi 
Chi Men (north gate in the west wall of the Tartar City) to 
the famous summer palace, Smiles distant. There are really 
two summer palaces near Peking and as they are equally 
famous and are located near each other, they are very fre- 
quently confused. The old summer palace was the inspiration 
of Kang Hsi who built here a summer residence. His 
renowned successor, Chien Lung, added many improvements, 
securing the aid of Jesuit priests and the best of Chinese 
architects and landscape gardeners. Many of the pavilions 
were built in semi-Euro\}ean style, Within the grounds were 
about thirty places of residence for princes and officials and 
many small villages for the residence of servants and eunuchs. 
Father Beviot writing of the place 150 years ago, said; 
**To form any idea of its beauty one must drift into the re- 
gions of fairyland, such as described by imaginative writers." 
This summer palace was practically destroyed by the English 
and French troops in 1860, but many interesting ruins remain.. 
Before setting fire to the place the French and English looted 
it, the finest art objects being selected for Queen Victoria 
and Napoleon HI. Afany of the wonderful examples of 
Chinese art in European museums or private collections were 
taken from this palace at the time. 



228 HANDBOOK FOR CHINA 

The present summer palace was built by the old Empress 
Dowager near the ruins of the older palace. In its construc- 
tion she lavished the money which had been appropriated for 
the establishment of a modern navy for China. Like the 
older palace it is built on a series of hills and contains many 
pavilions, bridges, etc. 

** The grounds are lovely, a beautiful clear lake spanned 
by a white marble bridge lying in their midst, like a diamond 
sparkling in a setting of green. The palace itself is like 
all other Chinese houses, a succession of one-storied halls, 
built round central courtyards, and each one divided inside 
into three, by tall, beautifully carved blackwood parti- 
tions. These halls are raised upon stone terraces, and ap- 
proached by a flight fef broad steps. Their curling roofs are 
tiled with imperial yellow or bright green and each corner 
is bestridden by half a dozen curious little devils, from 
six to eight inches high, made of porcelain and represent- 
ing dragons or phoenixes, their position there being in some 
way connected in the Chinese mind with the feng shui, 
or occult influences affecting the prosperity of the 
inhabitants. The eaves supporting the roofs are painted 
and decorated by hand with a multitude of gay scenes from 
Chinese life, treated with the utmost brilliant coloring of 
greens, blues, and vermilions, the ubiquitous Chinese dragon 
appearing over and over again under a hundred different 
aspects. Some fine bronze birds and beasts, stand sen- 
tinel at the chief entrances. A creeper-overgrown 'covered 
way* meanders through the grounds, skirting the lake and 
leading from the palace to a group of temple buildings scat- 
tered on the side of the hill which backs it.'* One of the 
most interesting objects in the grounds is a white marble 
• summer house built in the shape of a boat and apparently 
floating on the surface of the water. 

During the monarchy the summer palace was open to 
foreign visitors on certain days of the month when the court 
was not in residence there, admission being secured through 
applic^ition to foreign ministers. The palace is now open 



*nit MING TOMBS _: 229 

daily to Doth foreigners and Chinese at a fixed fee, tickets 
being secured at the entrance. 

The Ming Tombs. — The completion of the Peking-Kalgaii 
railway makes possible a pleasant excursion from Peking to 
the Great Wall and to the Ming tombs, interesting places 
which could formerly be reached only by mule cart, a trip 
which involved a good many hardships. Both these places 
are best visifeed from Nankow, about two hours* railway 
journey from Peking. The railway station at Peking is 
outside the northwest corner of the Tartar City, about an 
hour's journey from the Legation Quarter. By taking the 
morning train one can reach Nankow before noon and the 
Ming tombs can be visited the same day, spending the follow- 
ing day on a trip to the Great Wall and to the Nankow Pass, 
the great gateway between China and Mongolia. Two hotels 
at Nankow, the Railway and the Ching Er, afford comfortable 
stopping places for travelers, who should notify the managers 
in advance of their coming, so that there will be no delay about 
providing donkeys and chairs for the excursions. Donkeys 
for the trip are provided at $1 and mountain chairs at $7. 
All other expenses, including railway fare from Peking and 
return, will amount to less than $15. 

The beautiful valley in which the tombs are located is six 
miles long, and the tombs, each in a separate enclosure, are 
on the slopes of the wGoded hill which mark the valley. The 
Chinese name of the place is Shih-san Ling or "Tombs of the 
Thirteen (Emperors)," that being ths number of rulers 
buried here. 

Approaching the tombs from Nankow one comes first 
to an enormous white marble pailow of five arches, marking 
the entrance to the "Holy Way." This is three miles distant 
from the tombs. The inscription on the pailow enjoins on 
all visitors a feeling of reverence for the holy place about to 
be visited. 

On each side of the avenue are large images carved of 
blue limestone. "The military mandarins, six in number, have 
mailed coats reachnig dovv^ below the knees, close-fitting caps 
banging over the shoulder, a sword in the left hand and a 



230 HANDBOOK ]fOR CHINA 

marshal's baton in the right. The civil officials have robes 
with long hanging sleeves, tasseled sashes bound with jade- 
mounted belts, embroidered breastplates, and square caps. 
The animals which follow, facing the avenue, comprise two 
pairs of lions, two of unicorn monsters, two of camels, two 
of elephants, two of hi-lin and two of horses, one pair being 
represented standing, the other seated or kneeling." There 
has been a great deal of wanton destruction of the monu- 
ments and arches on the Holy Way, which in places is 
difficult to follow. At one time this avenue was magnificently 
paved and stretched through a beautifully wooded country. 
It was then the scene of many gorgeous processions when 
the later Ming Emperors offered sacrifices to their ancestors. 
Much of the paving has been torn up, the trees cut down for 
fuel and the fine bridges allowed to fall into disrepair. The 
country now has a bare and forbidding look. 

At the end of the avenue is the semi-circle of thirteen 
tombs and in the center the great temple or sacrificial hall 
dedicated to Emperor Yung-lo. The large hall 200 feet long 
by 90 wide contains forty red lacquered columns, each 
consisting of an enormous Persea Nanmu tree trunk, over 
60 feet high and ten feet in circumference at the base. The 
columns reach to the true roof under which there is a 
lower ceiling. The Persea Nanmu is a fragrant wood and 
these old columns still exhale a faint odor. In the hall is 
the ancestral tablet of Yung-lo, before which sacrificial 
offerings are regularly placed. The fine building has remained 
intact for five hundred years. It is probably the largest 
building in China and certainly one of the best preserved. 

In the rear of the hall after passing through beautiful 
courtyards one comes to the tomb, and a subterranean 
passage leads to the top of thetumulus. This is a half mile 
in circuit and has the appearance of a natural hill, though it 
is really artificial. According to tradition the coffin was 
carefully suspended in a pit so that no water could touch it 
and all of the requirements of good feng sliui be complied 
with. One feature which will always impress the visitor is 



THE GREAT WALL 231-^ 

the absolute silence of the spot for it is seldom that even the 
cry of a bird will be heard. 

The twelve other tombs are constructed on the same 
general design, though the dimensions are different. They 
are rarely visited. Of the sixteen monarchs of the Ming 
djaiasty, thirteen are buried here, while the founder, Hung 
Wu, is buried in Nanking. The second sovereign was 
obliged to fly from Peking in disguise when Yung-lo seized 
the throne. Emperor Ching-tsong (1450-1457) ruled only 
while his brother was held in captivity by the Tartars and on 
his death was not accorded imperial honors. Guides and 
donkey drivers, in order to save time often take the visitor 
from Nankow direct to the sacrificial hall. The trip should 
be made as described above, approaching the tombs by the 
^'Holy Way.'' 

The Great Wall, — The trip from the village of Nankow 
to the Great Wall and Nankow Pass is .made on a train 
which leaves Nankow very early in the morning. Early 
breakfasts are provided at the hotels. 

The railway extends to Kalgan, a distance of 124 miles, 
with an extension which will ultimately be completed to 
Urga, replacing, as a means of transportation, the many 
camel trains which now cross Mongolia. The railway line is 
especially interesting as being an enterprise successfully 
carried out by Chinese without foreign aid. It was built by 
Chinese engineers, who successfully solved many difficult 
problem* of construction, and has always been under purely 
Chinese management. The engineering difficulties were 
greatest at Nankow Pass, where the grade is steep and many 
sharp curves were necessary. Between Nankow and Pata 
Ein, a distance of ten miles, the railway rises to an altitude of 
1600 feet, a difficult piece of construction which was accomp- 
lished by Chinese engineers. Four tunnels were necessary at 
this point, one of them which reaches to the summit of the 
pass being 3000 feet long. The building of this small section of 
the line took four years. 

Some idea of the immensity of China may be gained 
from the fact that of the 1500 miles of wall the small portion 



232 HANDBOOK FOR CHINA 

of it seen at Nankow Pass is the most accessible. Thft 
construction of the wall was begun in the third century before 
Christ. Originally it was built to the seashore, near Peking, 
but that portion has since been destroyed. Running eastward 
and north of Beking, the wall turns south and east through 
Shensi to the Yellow River. The height of the wall is 20-to 
50 feet, and at some places, at intervals of 200 yards, there 
are tov/ers 40 feet high, designed for sentry stations and 
as places of vantage from which stones could be hurled at an 
attacking party. Cannon were formerly mounted at these 
points but have now been removed. The base is 15 to 25 feet 
thick and the summit 12 feet, the whole structure being 
constructed so that it will drain perfectly. The wall is 
carried over mountains and through valleys and at some 
places is 4000 feet above the sea level. The views from some 
of the high points near Nankow Pass are magniiicent. Part 
of the wall has fallen into decay or has entirely disappeared, 
but in valleys and along roads through v/hich attacks might 
be directed, it is built of solid masonry, has been kept in good 
repair, and is still guarded by small garrisons. Chinese 
history contains very little reference to this monumental 
piece of construction, w^hich was designed to prevent attJlcks 
by the Tartars. The portion of the wall seen at Nankow 
Pass is really only an inner section of the great wall, the 
outer section being at Kalgan. 

Western Tombs. — Some of the Emperors of the Alanchu 
dynasty are buried at the Hsi Ling, or "Western Tombs/* 
west of the town of Yi Chow% To reach the place, take a train 
on the Peking-Hankov/ railway to Kao Pei-tien (52 miles) 
and from there a branch line of 25 miles to Liang-ko Chuang, 
about one hour's journey from the tombs. The railway 
was built to enable the Emperor of China to visit the tombs 
of his ancestors. As on a visit to Jehol or the Eastern 
tom.bs, one must make arrangements through his legation for 
a permit. Bedding and servants must be taken from Peking. 
The cost of the trip will be about $j?o for each member of the 
P^rty. 

The tombs are all in a park enclosed by a wall about 



KALGAN 233 

twenty milei^ in circuit. The burial place is a natural amphi- 
theater formed by the Hsi Shan, and in a" general way, is 
much like the Ming tombs or the Eastern Tombs, though 
more beautiful because of the fine park; The Imperial tombs 
^re the burial places of : Yung Cheng (1723-1735), Chia Ch'ing 
(i'796-i82o), Tao Kuang (1820-1850), and Kwang Hsu 
(1875-1908). This is the burial place of many others of the 
Imperial family, including the twenty wives of Yung Cheng 
and 14 of the 17 wives of Chia Ch'ing. 

Eastern Tombs. — This burial place of some of the 
Manchu rulers is reached by way of the railway from Peking 
to Tung-chow (15 miles) and a journey on horseback for the 
remaining 64 miles, or it may be combined with the trip to 
Jehol. Going direct from Peking, after leaving the railway 
at Tung-chow, one passes through the following villages : 
Yen-chiao, 6 miles ; Ma-chia-fa, 9 miles; Pai-fu-tu, 18 miles ; 
San ho-hsien^ 21 miles ; Tuan-chia-ying, 26 miles ; Pang-chun, 
32 miles; Chi-chow, 40 miles; Lin-ho-chuang, Ccrossingof 
the Lin Ho), 55 miles ; Shih Men, 59 miles. 

The Eastern tombs bear a striking resemblance to the 
Ming tombs near Nankow, and the other imperial burial 
places in China. The seven cemeteries are located in a great 
natural amphitheater of mountains twenty miles in extent. 
The imperial graves number 54, in which lie the bodies of 
emperors, empresses, princes, princesses and concubines. 
The principal groups are approached by long roads bordered 
with stone images of animals and men similar to those at the 
Ming tombs. Among the sovereigns buried here are : Shun 
chih (1643-1661), Kang Hsi (1662-1722), Chien Lung (1736- 
1795), Hsien Feng (1850-1861), T'ung-chih (1862-1875). 

Kalgan. — The building of the Peking-Kalgan railway 
has brought this city on the edge of Mongolia within easy 
reach of travelers. Hotel, Kalgan, 5 minutes from the 
railway station. The railway between Peking and Kalgan 
, traverses a distance of 124 miles and is gradually being 
pushed farther to the west. Fare from Peking, first class, 
$13.20; second class, $8.60, 

Kalgan is among the cities recently opened to 



234 HANDBOOK FOR CBftNA 

foreign trade and quite a number of foreign concerns are 
already established there. It has long been an important 
caravan station through which tea is shipped to Russia and 
Mongolia and the meeting place of many camel trains travel- 
ing between Peking and Urga. The railway will eventually 
be completed to Urga, now distant a twelve days* journey by 
camel. Before the building of the Trans-Siberian railway 
the tea trade with Russia passed through here and the very 
extensive compounds, with their high mud walls, which at 
that time were the centers for tea transportation, are still to 
be seen in the western part of the city. 

Chihli Province. — Chihli Province has an area of 115,000 
square miles, and a population of 20 millions. About half of 
the area lies outside the great wall and is thinly populated by 
Mongols, governed by Mongol princes. The greater part 
of the province is a dead level plain, the northern part of that 
great plain which stretches along the east coast of the country 
for 700 miles to the south through Honan to the Yangtsze. 
In the northeast are many rugged hills. The climate is 
invigorating, the summers being intensely hot andthe vrinter? 
intensely cold. Indeed, there are few places where such 
extremes of temperature are met, the summer temperature 
often rising as high as at Hongkong, while in the v/inter 
zero weather is common. The principal cities are : Peking, 
Tientsin, Tungchow, Jehol, Chengtingfu, and Shanhaikwan. 

Jehol. — This old summer residence of the Emperors of 
China is 144 miles northeast of Peking. The distance can be 
made in from four to six days with good saddle horses and 
pack animals. An efficient interpreter is necessary for the 
success of the journey. Chinese inns are to be found at con- 
venient points along the route. It is important before leaving 
Peking to secure the necessary permission to visit the Imperial 
palaces, etc. 

The town of Jehol derives its name from an abbreviation 
of the name of the stream, Je-ho-erh, ** hot river,'* on 
which it is located. This river, a tributary of the Luan Ho, 
is really barely lukewarm. The site of the city is beautiful, 
on a bend of the stream and surrounded by mountains which 



jETioL 235: 

shelter it from the north winds in winter and afford a meanS' 
of escaping from the heat in summer. Emperor Kang Hsi 
began the construction of the Summer Palace in Jehol irfi 
1703 ; his successors, Emperors Yung Cheng and Chien Lung 
further beautified the spot and it was occupied as an Imperial 
summ.er residence until September 2, 1820, when Emperor 
Chia Ch'ing, while staying there, was struck by lightning 
This was considered an evil omen and the place was aban- 
doned for forty years, until 1860, when Emperor Hsien Feng 
fled there at the time Peking was occupied by the Anglo- 
French troops. He died in less than a year after reaching 
Jehol ?nd this event proved to the Imperial Clan the correct- 
ness of their previous conclusions regarding the evil influences 
of the place, so that in 1900 the Court did not flee to Jehol but 
to Sianfu instead. For the same reason the Court refused to 
consider taking refuge there during the Republican Revolution 
of 1911-12. 

The principal entrance to the imperial estates is about 
an hour's walk north of Jehol. The park is enclosed by 
high battlemented walls six miles in circuit, the entrance 
gate being guarded by the usual stone lions. It was at the 
Imperial residence in this park that the embassy of Lord 
Macartney wais received in 1793 by Emperor Chien Lung. 
The residences and other buildings are now in disrepair and 
generally in a dilapidated condition, though this is not appar- 
ent from any distance. The view from any vantage ground is 
delightful ; gilded domes of kiosks, brilliantly painted bridges, 
pagoda towers, and many colored buildings, rising in tiers on 
the lower slopes of the hillsides, are to be seen through the 
shining greenery of the cedars. The phoenix and the dragon 
are represented over and over again in the architectural 
designs, while massive pink lions guard each highl}^ ornamented 
terrace. The lake covered with beautiful islands is fed by 
shaded creeks and led into many canals crossed by fantastic 
foot bridges.<N The imperial residence itself is composed not 
of a single building but of more than thirty structures scat- 
tered about the park, all located with a fine regard to the 
beauty of the whole scheme, no matter from what point it is 



236 HANBOOK ^OR CHINA 

viewed. As is tisisal in Chinese parks and gardens, there are 
many labyrinthine walks and grottoes constructed of artificial 
stone. There is nothing remarkable about the villas 
themselves, though they contain many interesting mementos 
of the sovereigns who occupied them, the walls of some being 
almost covered with inscriptions by Chien Lung and other 
Emperors who spent their spare time in v/riting poetry. 

Among the features of the place is a nine-story pagoda, 
completed in 1764, and containing inscriptions in Chinese, 
Manchu, Mongol and Tibetan, recording the fact that the 
structure was erected in commemoration of the conquest of 
Zungari. The Imperial theater, surrounded by balconies, is 
reached by a handsome marble bridge. Two richly endowed 
Buddhist monasteries were built in 1770 and 1779 as replicas 
of famous Tibetan convents located at Lhasa and Chigatse. 
One of the temples bears a striking resemblance to the Temple 
.of Heaven in Peking. Each is occupied by hundreds of 
Lama priests. 

Returning from Jehol the traveler may f ollov.'- the same 
route as that by which he came, or go to Peking byway of the 
Tung Ling or Eastern Tombs. Another route is by boat as 
far as Luan Chow which is on the railway between Tientsin 
and Shanhaikwan. The boat journey will take from two to 
five days. 

One of the first railways that will be built in these parts 
will no doubt be the one from Tungchov/ to Jehol which will 
then be within easy access from Peking. 

Sianfu.— At Honanfu the traveler to Vv^estern China 
leaves the railway for more primitive conveyances for the 
journey to the ancient city of Sianfu, the capital and most 
important city of Shensi, and the most interesting city, his- 
torically, in all China. vSianfu is on the Yellow River, the 
same distance from the sea that Hankow is on the Yangtsze, 
but the Yellow River unlike the Yangtsze is not navigable, 
and Sianfu has acquired its present importance by overland 
trade, which is almost entirely domestic. The population of 
the city is about one million. It has no foreign hotels and 
the number of foreign residents is very small. 



SIANFU 2J7 



Sianfu or a neighboring city was the capital of the 
country on several occasions, and it was near here that; ac- 
cording to some authorities, the founders of the Chinese race 
first settled, spreading out from here to all parts of Eastern 
Asia. The city was in its prime as the capital of the Tang 
dynasty, when it was known as Siking. Under the name 
of Cha*ng-an, it v/as the capital of the Empire from B. C. 
206 to A. D. 605, when the capital was moved to Honan. 
It was near here that the books of the country were burned 
by Shih-Hwang-ti (B. C. 246-209). As late as 1900, the city 
served as the capital of the country, for the Empress Dowa- 
ger and Emperor Kwang-Hsu fled here during the Boxer 
troubles. 

"Sianfu was the starting point of all those religious 
movements which have influenced in any degree the immo- 
bility of the Chinese nation. Here Mohammedanism found 
its entrance, first success and permanent hold. Here a colony 
of the sons of Israel came to their perpetual banishment 
am.ong the sons of Han. Here Buddhism, under royal 
patronage, first established its real sway. Here six hundred 
years later when the Greek Emperor Theodosius, the princes 
of Central Asia and the rislers of India and Persia were send- 
ing their envoys with presents to the Imperial court in Sianfu, 
cam^e the apostles of Nestorianism to propagate the Christian 
creed." 

The walls which surround Sianfu are about ten miles in 
circuit, and thirty feet high, surmounted by watch towers of 
equal height. They are visible for many miles across the 
oess plain on which the city is built. The present walls date 
from the reign of the founder of the Ming dynasty, Hung 
Wu (1368-1399), who also gave the city the name it has 
since retained. The towers were added in 1526. The four 
gates are built at the cardinal points of the compass and the 
Tartar City is separated from the Chinese' City by a wall 
Soon after the outbreak of the recent revolution, the Chinese 
attacked the Manchus here and the deaths which followed 
have been estimated at 20,030 probably more than in all of 
the fighting in Hankow and Nanking. 



23B HANDBOOK FOR CHINA 

The neigliborhood of the city abounds in tombs, monu- 
ments and other relics of great antiquit}^ Many of the early 
Yellow Emperors are buried here, though the marks of their 
tombs have long since been effaced and few of them can 
be identihed with any degree of certainty. It was here that 
one of the rulers of China was buried with such a wealth of 
gold and silver that his sons feared the temptation it would 
offer to robbers and constructed many other grave mounds so 
that no one could tell which contained the treasure. The 
large number of tum^uli in the vicinity give credence to the 
legend. Shih-Hwang-ti (B. C, 246-209) is buried at the city 
of Lint'unghsien, 15 miles east of Sianfu. It was this em- 
peror who sought to begin the history of China anew by 
burning all the books of the country and to keep out the 
Mongols and the Tartars by building the Great Wall. His 
tomb was so magnificent that it passed into a proverb and 
formed the basis for some Arabian Nights tales. It was 
fifty feet high and a mile and a half in circumference. 
Near the city is buried Wu Tse-tien, the only Empress who 
ever ruled over China in her own name. In the Manchu 
quarter stands a stone on which is imprinted the figure of a 
human hand, somewhat larger than life size. According to 
legend, this mark was left by the Empress. Sianfu or a 
neighboring city is reputed to have been the birthplace of 
the legendary Fu Hsi. 

South of the Tartar City is the famous Pel Lin, or 
*' Forest of Stones." a collection of more than 1400 monu- 
ments on w^hich the history of the place for 2000 years has 
been inscribed, some of the records being pictorial. The 
best known of these monuments is the Nestorian Tablet, 
which bears the date of A. D. 781 and gives in 2000 Chinese 
characters a record of the establishment in China '* of the 
illustrious religion of Syria." This, the only known record 
of that early effort to Christianize China, was found by some 
workmen in 1625 and was placed in the Pei Lin. 

Ten m.iles from Pinchou, northwest of Sianfu, there is a 
famous image of Buddha, carved out of the living rock. The 
image is forty feet high, and a pendant image is larger than 



SHEiVSI PROVINCIS 239 

life size. The work is said to belong to the T'ang dynasty 
(618-906 A. D.). 

Of the many rich shops in the city, probably the most 
notable are the furriers. Curio shops abound, where the 
articles offered for sale are usually of much greater antiquity 
than those found in the shops near the coast. As the place 
has been untouched by tourist travel, prices are comparatiY^ly 
low. 

Sianfu has a large Moslem population and is headquarters 
for the Mohammedanism of the north. The Mohammedan 
mosque, dating from the second century, is worthy of note. 
During the great Mohammedan rebellion of 1861-1876, 
Sianfu held out while every other city and village for miles 
around was razed. Extensive bituminous coal fields exist 
near Sianfu, awaiting the arrival of a raihvay co make their 
development possible. Missions : English Baptist and Scan- 
dinavian Alliance. 

Shensi Province. — The province of Shensi has an area oi 
75,270 square miles and a population of 8 millions. The 
northern two-thirds of the province is cut off from the 
southern third by the Tsingling range which is a labyrinth 
of hills and high mountains', some of the peaks rising to 
heights of 12,000 feet. The general altitude is 8,500 feet. 
Some of the streams, in this broad range fall 600 feet in 30 
miles The northern slopes are steep and cold and the 
southern slopes are gentle and lie in a temperate climate. 
The range is crossed by two important trade routes. The 
•valley of the Yellow River is mostly a dry and barren area, 
while the valley of the Wei is important agriculturally. On 
^he whole the soil of the province produces fine crops, pro- 
vided the rains are abundant, but in time of drouth famines 
•ensue. One of the worst famines in the recent history of 
China was that in Shensi which followed soon after the Boxer 
uprising. In some of the districts the death rate was 70% and 
despite the expenditure of almost £1,000,000 in relief, the 
deaths were about 2|- million. The province suffered severely 
•during the Mohammedan rebellion of 1874, which is estimated 
to have swept away about half the population. Immigration 



240 HANDBOOK I?OR CHINA 

has since been encouraged by the government, with the 
result that ''the population is practically representative of 
the greater half of China, for there are immigrants from 
Shansi, Shantung, Honan, Hupeh, Szechuan, and Yunnan." 
Salt, nickel, gold and iron are found in the province. The 
best known industries are ''iron work at Tungkwan, straw 
plaiting at Hwayinmiao. Incense sticks and bamboo furniture 
at Chihshui, and coal at Weinan Hsien." 

The Loess Plain. — On any road to Sianfu one -passes 
through a part of the great loess district of western and central 
China, v/hich stretches through the provinces of Shensi, Shansi 
and Kansu. The area covered by the loess was estimated by 
Baron Richthofen to be 375,000 square miles. North of 
Sianfu the deposit attains a maximum depth of 1000 feet. 
Through this loess deposit small streams havci made canyons 
sometimes several hundred feet deep. The roads through this 
plain are especially atrocious, being quagmires in the rainy 
season and deep with dust in the dry. 

According to Richthofen and other authorities, loess is 
the dust of northern Asia produced long ago and blov/n over 
north China by the prevailing v/inds. This fine powdery 
material mixed with sand covers what was the original surface 
of the land with a varying depth which is often several hun- 
dred feet. Rivers in the loess country sweep through this 
loose material and find their beds on the original soil beneath, 
with the result that all flow between steep, precipitous banks. 
The soil is so rich that no fertilization is needed, as in other 
parts of China, and with suitable rainfall abundant crops are 
produced, but crop failures from drouth are not uncommon. 
According to ai local belief, there is a small famine every 
three years and a large one every ten. 

A striking feature of the loess country is the vertical 
cleavage of the soil. From a height, the plain appears to 
stretch away for miles unbroken by any depression, but on 
closer examination, it is found to be full of ravines, many of 
them several hundred feet deep and only a few yards wide. 
Crops here are not the same as in the south, millet, wheat, oats, 
corn and sweet potatoes taking the place of rice as staples. 



TAIYUENFU 241 



Lanchowfu. — West of Shensi in the province of Kansu, 
very thinly populated, is the far western capital of Lanchow- 
fu, with a population of 500,000. Being so near to the high 
Mongolian plateau, Kansu suffers great extremes of heat and 
cold. Two roads connect Lanchowfu and Sianfu, the most 
important being the northern. It was formerly a beautiful 
thoroughfare, bordered by trees. 

The trip from Hankow to Lanchowfu occupies about 
two months, it being necessary to travel by cart from Honan- 
fu. Lanchowfu is situated on the Yellow River which is 
crossed by a bridge of boats in the summer and by ice in 
winter. The China Inland Mission has a station with several 
missionaries in this city. 

Paotingfu- — This city, 91 miles from Peking on the 
Peking-Hankow Raihvay, was formerly the official capital of 
Chihli, but with the growing importance of Tientsin, that city 
has usurped practically all the functions of the provincial 
capital. The city is enclosed by a wall four miles in circuit 
built in 1402, and has a population of 80,000. It is the 
location of a modern university, founded in 1901, and is an 
important center for missionary work. During the Boxer 
trouble twenty-five foreigners, mostly American mission- 
aries, were massacred here. The sacred mountain of Wu- 
tai-shan, about 115 miles distant, can be reached in five 
stages. It is visited more conveniently from Ting-chow. 

Taiyuenfu. — This city, the capital of Shansi, is the 
terminus of the Cheng Tai Railway, running from Cheng- 
tingfu, where connection is made with the through trains of 
the Peking-Hankow line. Chengtingf u '^' is 152 miles from 
Peking, and Tainyuenfu is 325 miles from Peking by rail. 
The Cheng Tai line passes through a mountainous section of 
the country, of great scenic beauty. Population of Taiyuen- 
fu, 100,000. There are two hotels of semi-foreign style. 

The city is surrounded by a wall eight miles in circuit, 
being laid out like the Tartar city of Peking. Two broad 



* Spelled Tcheng Ting Fou on the railway time-tables and also spelled 
Che-Kia-Tchouan^. 



242 HANDBOOK FOR CHINA 

streets iiin north and south and two east and west, connect- 
ing the eight gates and dividing the city into rectangles. Some 
of the fine streets are bordered with very old trees. The 
place is of interest to foreigners because of the fact that it 
was the scene of one of the most bloody massacres of the 
Boxer uprising. Forty-five missionaries of Shansi were in- 
duced to come to the capital and place themselves under the 
protection of the governor. 3ut as soon as all were there, 
they were treacherously massacred by the officials. Altogether 
more than seventy missionaries, Catholic and Protestant^ were 
killed. The Empress Dowager on her flight from Peking 
stopped here and listened eagerly to the stories of the 
tortures which had been applied to the missionaries. The 
missionboards, invited by the Chinese government to settle on" 
an indemnity for the massacre, suggested that a fine of a half 
million taels be exacted_,not as an indemnity for the lives of 
the missionaries, but to establish a modern university to 
remove the cause of hostility, ignorance. It was also the 
missionary who urged the opening of the railway as another 
help toward progress. Since that time the railway has been 
built^ a number of foreigners have taken up residence here, a 
modern university with foreign facilities has been established 
and the whole aspect of the place changed so far as the 
interests of foreigners are concerned. In 1907 a permanent 
exposition was opened here for the display of the products 
of the province, which include camels* hair rugs, furs, cotton 
goods, pottery, jev/elry, carved furniture, ores, etc. At the 
present time the city is well known throughout China as the 
residence of H. E. Yen Hsi Shan, who has earned the title of 
" the model governor of China." 

He has introduced many reforms and the reactionary city 
of twenty years ago has became one of the most progressive. 

*' One of the mountain peaks of the plain is pointed out 
as the ' Ararat ' of China, and is commonly called Jen-tsu- 
shan (Mountain of the Ancestors of Man), and the story is 
told that when the whole race were destroyed by a great 
flood, two persons saved their lives by jumping on the backs 
of two mighty lions, and vrere carried by them to the topmost 



PEKIKG-MOUKDEN-RAILWAY 24'3 



ledge of this mountain, and thus saved from the general de- 
struction. These two afterwards became the parents of the 
whole human race. On the top of this mountain is a very 
old temple." 

Eighty miles north of Taiyuenfu is the sacred mountain 
of Wu-tai shan, visited the whole year round by a steady 
stream of pilgrims from all parts of the country, some coming 
from Mongolia and Tibet 

The elevated plain to the south of Taiyuenfu is covered 
with villages. Many coal mines in the vicinity have been 
worked by primitive methods for centuries, It has been 
estimated that the anthracite resources of Shansi and adjacent 
territory are equal to those of Pennsylvania and with the 
development of mining this w^ill be one of the richest sections 
of China. 

Peking-Moukden Railway.— This line of the Chinese 
government railway system maintains a regular daily service 
between Peking and Moukden, with an additional through 
train which in conjunction with the South Manchuria and the 
Chinese Eastern railways, connects with the Trans-Siberian 
through service to Europe. In addition to the regular fare on 
this "train de luxe," seat tickets and sleeping berth fees must 
be added- Meals are served on the train. Special reduced 
rates are available from September 30 to Easter, for round 
trip tickets from Peking to certain points in North China 
and Manchuria. 

Principal points on the Peking-Moukden Line are : 

Miles from Mi' es from 

Peking Moukden 

,. Peking (see page 199) 523 

84 Tientsin Central 439 

87 Tientsin East (see page 244) 436 

114 Tangku 409 

168 Tangshan 455 

241 Peitaiho (see page 247) 282 

251 Tangho, change for Chinwangtao 272 

(see page 247) 

262 Shanhaikwan (see page 248) 261 



■ / 



244 HANDBOOK ^OR CHINA 

396 Chinchoufu 127 

416 Koupangtzu change for Newchwang 107 

(see page 755) 
486 Hslnmlnfu Zl 

522 Fengtien (Moukden) (see page 248) I 
(S.M. R. Station) 

523 Moukden (Fengtien) 
(C. G. S. Station) 

Tientsin. — Located at the jur.ction of the Peiho river 
and the Grand Canal, about 80 miles from Peking and 40 
miles from the coast. Fare from Shanghai, by coast steamers, 
$60. Railway fare from Peking, first class $5.20, second 
$3.25. Northern terminus of the Tientsin-Pukow railway, 
about 640 miles, owned by the Chinese government. There 
are three railway stations, Tientsin Central, Tientsin West 
and Tientsin Fast. The latter is nearer to the hotels, while 
passengers to and from Peking change cars at Tientsin Central. 
Post offices, British, French, Japanese and Russian. Con- 
sulates, Great Britain, United States, Belgium, Denmark, 
France, Italy, Japan, Netherlands-, Russia, Sweden. Tram- 
cars, ricshas, and carriages take one to any part of the city. 
Population, about I million which includes about 10.000 
foreigners. Hotels : Imperial, Astor House. 

As the river port for the capital and the entrepot for all 
the northern provinces, Tientsin has for centuries played a 
most important part in the commerce of China. It has been 
equally important from a military standpoint, for it is the key 
to the capital and has figured prominently in all of the many 
attacks on Peking. Since 1910 it has been the capital of the 
province of Chihli. .Because of the windings of the river, 
Tientsin was formerly 56 miles, by water, from the sea. 
Through an elaborate improvem^ent scheme, this distance has 
been reduced to 47 miles, from which an additional nine 
miles will be clipped when the scheme is: completed. The 
Chinese population is made up almost entirely of traders and 
merchants, Tientsin having but few manufacturing concerns. 
Of late years the city has become an educational center. Li 
Hung Chang made this his residence and, under the favor of 



t74R 




.. /:. 




PLAN OF THE 
FOREIGN CONCESSIONS 



DRAWN FOR CROWS "HANDBOOK FOR CHINA' 

Scale of HaJf a MUe 



TiExTsi:^ 245 

Peking, ruled over Tientsin and the surrounding country like 
a feudal lord. Under his leadership, Tientsin became known 
as a center of reform. It was here that he tried his experi- 
ments in education and army reforms — policies which v/ere 
later ably carried out by the famous old viceroy's protege^ 
Yuan Shih K'ai. 

The oldest foreign concession in Tientsin is the British, 
which was established in 1860. The plans for the settlement 
were drawn by General '"'Chinese'' Gordon, whose name has 
been given to the principal administration hall. At the same 
time France was allotted a concession. The Japanese, after 
the war of 1895, received a concession and since 1900 other 
concessions have been granted to Germany, Russia, Austria 
and Belgium. 

Walls were built around the place in 1403, and remained 
until 1901, the year follovv^ing the Boxer outbreak, v/hen they 
were pulled down by order of the foreign provisional govern- 
ment. The ground they occupied was utilized for the build- 
ing of a fine thoroughfare, while the material contained in the 
walls was used for railway ballast. During the Boxer outbreak, 
the Chinese government sent troops against the foreign con- 
cessions of Tientsin, which were besieged for 27 days until 
the city was taken by the Allied troops. The city was 
governed by an international commission from 1900 to 1907, 
and during this time many important public v/orks were 
completed. 

The railway to Peking was built in 1897 and proved 
such a success that the track was doubled the following year. 
The building of this railway, the tearing down of the city 
walls, and the good example set by the fine foreign conces- 
sions have led to great improvements in the Chinese City. 
Broad streets have been laid out and kept in a good state of 
repair, and a tramway system built reaching to almost every 
part of the town. Many of the old temples have been turned 
into modern schools, devoted to Western learning. 

The treaty of 1858 was drawn up at the Sea View Bud- 
dhist Temple, one of the show places of Tientsin, but the 
largest aud most imposing temple in the city was built as a 



246 HANDBOOK ^OR CHINA 

memorial to Li Hung Chang. It is surrounded by extensive 
grounds laid out in the miniature landscape effect of which 
the Chinese are so fond, It is located in the rear of the 
Viceroy's yamen. An excellent view of the city may be ob- 
tained from the Drum Tower in the center of the Chinese 
City. 

On tiie way to Tientsin from the coast, Taku will be 
passed at the mouth of the Peiho, on the southern bank of 
the river. It is memorable as being the former location of 
the Taku forts, several times the point of attack by foreign 
forces. Under the protocol following the Boxer troubles, the 
forts were demolished, China agreeing not to fortify or to 
maintain troops on the route between the capital and the sea. 
A large number of foreign troops are usually quartered in 
Tientsin, The city formerly enjoyed some prominence and 
prosperity through the fact that it v/as the shipping point for 
the tribute rice coming to Peking from the southern prov- 
inces. This was shipped to Tientsin as the northern terminus 
of the Grand Canal and thence transported to the capital but 
with the development of railways and steamship lines the 
Grand Canal is no longer used. 

For route of the Tientsin- Pukow lin$ see page 264 
For Pcking-Moiikden line see page 243. 

The Grand Canal.— Like the Great Wall of China, the 
Grand Canal rem.ains as evidence of the advanced state of 
civilization in China twenty centuries ago. This great 
engineering work extends from Hangchow in Chekiang 
Province, to Tientsin on the Gulf of Chihli, a distance of 650 
miles. The section between the Yang and the Yellow River 
was begun about 485 B. C, that is 24 years after the Republic 
of Rome was established and during the most glorious ti'me 
of Athens. It was not until more than a thousand years 
later that the section south of the Yangtsze was built, while 
the work was completed on the Northern section in the 
thirteenth century. Kublai Khan is often credited Vv^ith the 
construction of the Grand Canal, but parts of it were in use 
long before his time. 



CHIN - VV A N G-TAO 247 

It is variously known b}^ the Chinese as the Yuho (Im- 
perial River), Yun-ho, (Transport River), or Vun-liang-ho 
(Tribute-Bearing River). Until recent years a large amount 
of rice was sent through the Grand Canal from, the Yang- 
tsze Valley provinces to Peking, but with the pa^rtial silting 
up of the canal, the coast steamship lines have usurped 
that function. With the completion of the Tientsin-Pukow 
Railway, Tientsin and Hangchow are noAv connected by rail 
and the usefulness of the Grand Canal is less than ever before. 

Peifcaiho Beach, — This summer resort, which is very 
popular with foreign residents of North China and draws 
many visitors from the Yangtsze Valley, is north-east of 
Tientsin, 240 miles from Peking on the Peking-Moukden line. 
(Fare from Peking, first class $14.45, second class S9.05, 
From Tientsin $9.25 and $5.75). The resort is on the sea- 
coast, fiVe miles from the railway station of Peitaiho and 
nine miles from the port of Chin-wang- tao, Peitaiho Beach 
is reached by a branch of the Peking-Moukden line from 
Peitaiho station. The climate is dry and bracing and is 
especially fine during the summer months when the tempera- 
ture is about ten degrees lower than in Peking. The excellent 
sea bathing which is enjoyed along the extensive beach during 
about six months of the year and the magnificent scenery add 
to the popularity of the place as a summer resort. The 
vicinity of Peitaiho abounds in delightful walks and game 
is plentiful in the neighborhood. 

Chin-wang-tao. — Is the terminus of a railway operated 
by the Kailan Mining Administration from Tangho, on the 
Peking-Moukden line. It is also the northern terminus of the 
steamship line from Shanghai, operated by the same compan}^ 
Fare to Shanghai |40. 

Chin-vv^ang-tao was opened to foreign trade in 1898,but 
owing to the Boxer troubles a customs-house was not setup 
until three yea res later. A breakvt^ater, constructed by the 
admirals of the allied fleet in 1901, has been purchased by the 
Kailan iMining Administration. This is the only part of the 
Gulf of Pechili which is not ice bound at any time of the 
year. It is an important point for the shipment of coal. 



248 HANDBOOK FOR CHINA 

Moukden (Fengtlen/^)— This city, the capital of Man- 
churia, has a population of about 200,000 Chinese, a few 
thousand Japanese and about one hundred foreigners of 
other nationalities. Moukden was nominally opened as a 
treaty port by treaty between China and the United States in 
1903 but as the Russo-Japanese War broke out soon after 
that it was not actually opened until three years later. Three 
railways meet here. It is on the main line of the South Man- 
churia Railway, which extends from Dalny and Port Arthur 
in the south and at Changchun connects with the Chinese 
Eastern Railway and with the Trans-Siberian route. The 
branch of the South Manchuria Railway from Antung con- 
nects here with the main line. At Antung on the Korean 
border it connects with the Korean railways and thence with 
the railway system of Japan. Moukden is also the northern 
terminus of the Peking-Moukden line of the Chinese govern- 
ment railways. There are two railway stations, the Fengtien 
station of the South Manchuria line and the Sheng Yang 
station of the Peking-Moukden line. Important trains of the 
latter line proceed to the Fengtien station, which is the 
more conveniently located of the two. The Yam.ato Hotel, 
conducted by the South Manchuria Railway, is a part of the 
station building. As it is likely to be crowded at the arrival 
of express trains, rooms should be engaged in advance. A 
tram line connects the station with the city, distant about 
three miles, or Russian carriages may be secured. The usual' 
fare is $1 an hour or $6 for an entire day. Mule carts are 
useful in carrying baggage and ricshas may be had at 
the station or in any part of the city. The consulates, 
French, British, Japanese, Russian and American are 
situated outside the west wall of the city in or near the 
"Foreign Settlement." In addition to the Chinese post office, 
there is a Japanese post office in the city, v/ith a branch office 
near the station. On the Japanese railway and at the Japan- 



* Moukden, the name most frequently used by foreigners, is an 
adaptation of the old Manchu name. Fengtien is the Chinese name of 
the city. The foreign name is frequently spelled Mr.kden, 



moukbEn* 249 

ese post office only Japanese money is accepted, or Chinese 
money at a discount. The Chinese railway accepts Mexican 
or Chinese dollars. The one coin in general use in Moukden 
is the small ten-cent piece, 11 to 12 of them being equal 
to a Mexican dollar. Throughout Manchuria paper notes are 
issued for 10 ten-cent pieces, and all the shops reckon in this 
dollar, which is 8 or 9 per cent less than the Mexican or 
Chinese dollar. 

This ancient birthplace of the Manchu dynasty, which 
ruled China for so long, is the largest and most important 
city in Manchuria, and is of great historical interest and 
political importance. It was here that Nurhachu the Manchu 
chieftain, established himself in 1625, after effecting a con- 
federation of the tribes of the neighborhood and from here 
he conducted his successful campaign against China which 
resulted in the establishment of the Manchu dynasty. Before 
that time the capital of the Manchus had been at Hsing- 
ching, about 100 miles east of Moukden. When Peking 
surrendered in 1644, the government was transferred to 
that city, but Moukden has alv/ays retained an official im*- 
portance greater than that of other provincial capitals. 

On arrival at Moukden station nothing is seen of the 
city itself, as the nearest point is nearly three miles avvay 
to the east. The station is surrounded by the Japanese 
settlement, w^ith many fine new buildings, among which 
the most conspicuous are the hospital and medical school 
belonging to the South Manchuria Railway. The southern 
of the two good roads leading to the city passes a large 
monument erected to the memory of the Japanese soldiers 
who fell in the battle of Moukden which was fought from 
February 19 to March 14, 1905. Near the northern road is a 
monument to the Russian soldiers. Between the two roads 
are situated most of the consulates, a small English church 
and other foreign buildings. 

Entering Moukden by either ol these two western roads, 
one passes through an oramental iron gateway, which has 
taken the place of the old gate through the outer wall. The 
other gates are closed at night, and a military guard is sta* 



2C0 HANDBOOX FOR CHINA 

tioned at all gates, This outer wall is built of mud and h 
about II miles in circumference, but it is now broken down 
in many places so that pedestrians may cross. A mile or 
more inside this rampart stands the inner city, a little more 
than a mile square and surrounded by a massive battlemented 
brick and stone wall, 40 feet high and 30 feet wide at the 
summit. Until recent years there was a high tower over each 
gate, but only one of these now stands. Interesting views of 
the city may be had from several points on the wall, but 
there is no vv^alk around the top of it. The space between 
the inner and outer walls is called the suburbs and is the 
residential part of Moukden. 

Broad main streets nm through the city connecting the 
eight gates, their most noteworth}^ feature being the large 
artistic shop signs which extend high above the fronts of 
the shops and are ornamented with brilliantly colored 
peacocks, dragons, birds and other designs. Two towers are 
conspicuous, breaking the line of the more northern street 
from east to west, the Drum Tower and the Bell Tower. 
The former contains the old drum beaten to summon the 
guard to the defense of the city; the latter contains a large 
bell sounded slowly for curfew and more rapidly when there 
is a serious fire. The more easterly of the two, the Bell 
Tower (Chung Low or Joong Low) can be ascended and 
affords a good view. The street between these towers is the 
principal one in the city. 

In the center of the city stands the old imperial palace of 
Nurhachu (Chin-lan-tien or Jin-lan-dyen), well worth a visit 
although the unique collection of old porcelain and Manchu 
antiquities for which the place was formerly famous has 
been removed to Peking. The buildings are just as when 
ussd by the Manchu conquerors, though they might be kept 
in better repair. The throne room and the summer pavilion 
with its high roofs and balconies are especially interesting, 
A pass to visit the palaces must be obtained through one's 
consul. No charge is made but a tip is usually given to 
the custodian. One entire side of the street, immediately 
south of the palace is occupied by handsome government 



moukdEn 2S\ 

buildings, all erected since 1905, the central entrance being, 
that of the governor's yamen. Most of the prominent build- 
ings inside the city belong to the government, such as the law 
school, Bank of China, (near the west wall,) a large girls'' 
school near the east wall, etc. 

In the southeast corner of the city wall is a curious old 
relic of nature worship, a temple to the fox. There is a. 
deep hole or cave in which the animal or its spirit is sup- 
posed to dwell. Twenty years ago crowds v/ent to this temple 
for healing, and there are many tablets erected by grateful 
patients, but of late years it has been neglected and has 
fallen into ruins. A short distance from this temple the 
Boxers had their headquarters where many Chinese Chris- 
tians were killed. 

Less than a mile east of the inner wall is a stretch of 
water called the Small River. In summer the river bank 
becomes the favorite pleasure resort of Moukden and is 
worth visiting in the afternoons to see the crowds in the 
booths, the pleasure boats moving slowly about, and the lotus- 
lilies growing in profusion on the surface of the water. 
Farther north, near the outer wall, is an interesting Bucldhist 
temple, the 'Tien Hsi Miao." The Buddhist hells may be 
seen here at any time, and the huge images of Buddha 
and his satellites, also the covered walk by which he goes 
from one image to another. Worshippers frequent the 
temple only on the 1st and 15th of each moon, usually early 
in the day. 

Outside the city, the most interesting sight is the tomb 
of Nurhachu's son, called the North Tomb (or Pei. 
Ling.) To visit this a pass is necessary. The tomb is on a. 
plain a few miles to the northwest of the city and may be 
reached by carriage or ricsha. The main approach to the~ 
tomb from the south is well worth walking along, though^ 
forbidden to vehicles. In front of the triple south gate 
which is kept closed is a fine archway of fretted white- 
marble. Visitors alight at the guard-house before the wes- 
tern gate of the enclosure. Inside the wall are beautiful 
avenues of old pines, curious stone animals, an artificial hill 



252 HANDBOOK FOR CHINA 

with fine glimpses of the surrounding country ficm its top, 
amd a second wall with battlements and towers. The gates 
of this inner enclosure will be opened by the custodian who 
shows the party round and who should receive a tip. En- 
trance is not allowed to the innermost enclosure surrounding 
■the tomb itself, a circular mound. In front of its gate is an 
interesting erection where sacrifices are offered to the spirit 
of the dead. Outside the outer wall lie extensive woods, in 
which, to the northw^est, one may find a smaller tomb, that 
of the wife of the Emperor. The best time to visit this 
North Tomb is in May or June on a cloudless day, but it is 
"beautiful in sunshine at any time^ and an ideal spot for a 
picnic. The Manchu custodians who live in a little house 
at the gate are very obliging and will provide boilmg water 
for tea. 

About seven miles to the east of the city is the tomb 
of Nurhachu himself, called the East Tomb (or Tung 
Ling.) It is finer and has more extensive and more 
picturesque woods than the North Tomb, but the road lead- 
ing to it from Moukden is bad and for that reason it is 
seldonr visited. 

Close to the outer wall of tha city is a Christian Arts 
College, carried on unitedl}^ by the three Protestant missions 
at work in Manchuria, the United Free Church of Scotland, 
the Irish Presbyterian Church, and the Danish Lutheran 
■Church. There is also a Union Theological Hall. Ne'.r 
these and inside the wall are a Chinese Christian church and 
the buildings of the Irish Presbyterian Mission. Outside 
the brick wall in the south suburb stands the Roman Catho- 
lic Cathedral, a conspicuous building with graceful twin 
spires. J \\l the buildings connected with the mission are 
gathered round it — schools, orphanage, priests* seminary, 
'Convent, etc. This mission was established by French priests 
in 1832 and now numbers about 50,000 converts in Manchuria. 
Immediately outside the east gates is the largest Protestant 
Church in Alanchuria, attended by from 500 to 700 Chinese 
Christians every Sunday. The congregation is governed 
and financed entirely by the Chinese. It is a part of the 



MOUKDI^N 253 

Presbyterian church of Manchuria and was established by 
the United Presbyterian, now the United Free Church of 
Scotland, which began v.'ork in Manchuria in 1872. On the 
banks of the Small River are the premises of the United 
Free Mission (vScottish) which includes the largest hospital 
in North China (140 beds for men and boys) a w^oman's 
hospital (70 beds) Girls' Normal College and school, and a 
number of dwelling houses. Besides the hospital there is the 
Moukden Medical College, a large handsom.e collection of 
buildings opened in 1912. The three missions unite in this 
institution, which is also supported by the government of 
Manchuria. 

Thecountry surrounding Moukden is very rich agricul- 
turally arid the city is next only to Yingkou in its importance 
as a centre for the manufacture of bean oil and bean cake. 
The annual production of oil is about 13 million pounds and 
of bean cake about 100 million pounds. A large part of 
the oil is used in Manchuria or shipped to China, while 
Japan takes practically all of the bean cake for use as 
fertilizer. 

Thirty miles to the northeast of Moukden is the Fushun 
colliery, now under Japanese ownership. Coins and house- 
hold implements dug out of the mines indicate that they were 
worked as long ago as the 12th century, mostly by Korean 
immigrants v/ho developed the mines in order to secure coal 
for their pottery works. With the rise of the Manchus to 
power the mines were closed by imperial edict as it was feared 
that their operation would have an adverse influence of fencf 
shiii on the imperial tombs which are near by. It was not 
until 1901 that permission was secured to work them. Two 
companies at that time began operations, one purely Chinese 
and the other a Russo- Chinese company. The property came 
into the hands of Japanese at the time the Portsmouth treaty 
was signed. A daily output of more than 5000 tons is 
expected as soon as the transportation facilities have been 
brought to a point where this production can be taken care 
of. 

Manchuria. — This division of China, known to the 



254 HANDBOOK Foi-i i:hixa 

Chinese as Kwantung,, has an area of about 370,000 square 
miles and an estimated population of 20 millions. For more 
tlian 2000 years the territory now known as Manchuria was 
peopled by a number of Tartar tribes, known to the Chinese 
as barbarians, and parts of it were at various times under the 
control of China or Korea, and ruled separately. In the seven- 
teenth century the Manchu tribe, previously of but small 
importance, began its rise to prominence. Their chief, 
Nurhachu, effected a combination of tribes and before his 
•death was able to set up an independent and powerful 
government in Manchuria. His successors fulfilled the dream 
•of their chief in 1644 when Nurhachu*s grandsons began 
their rule over the whole of China. The population of 
Manchuria was then drawn upon heavily to supply Tartar 
garrisons in the principal cities of China, and the result was 
that whole sections of the country were entirely cleared of 
their inhabitants. Some of these sections have remained 
without population for more than tv/o centuries and Man- 
<:huria is today a rich field for immigration from the crov/ded 
sections of both China and Japan. Manchuria is divided into 
three provinces : Shengking (or Fengtien) Kirin and Heilung- 
kiang, v/ith populations, respectively, of 13 million, 5 million 
and 2 million. Shengking has an area of 70,000 square miles, 
Kirin 110,000, and Heilungkiang 190,000. In Shengking the 
ranges of the Sungari mountains are covered with great 
forests of elm and pine, which are being rapidly thinned, the 
logs being floated in rafts down the Yalu to Antung. The 
plains of the province supply large quantities of soya beans 
for export. The Chinese population is largely made up of 
immigrants from Shantung. Colonists from China proper are 
also replacing the native Manchu population of Kirin pro- 
Tince. The products are practically the same as in Shengking, 
large quantities of beans being grown for export, and, in ad- 
dition, much wheat supplied to the mills at Harbin Chinese 
have colonized an important part of Heilungkiang, but the 
greater part of the province remains peopled by pure Man- 
chus, nomad Mongols, and the Tungusic tribes, v/ho live by 
Wishing and hunting. 



MANCHURIA 255 



In 1893 the Russians leased Port Arthur and the adjoin- 
ing peninsula from China and proceeded to connect their 
leased territory with the Siberian Railv/ay by the ccnstruct- 
ion of the Chinese Eastern Railway, and to establish the ice- 
free port of Dalny. 

In 1500 the Boxer outbreak devastated the country. 
Every foreign building was burned, which in Moukden alone 
meant two hospitals, two Protestant churches, six mission 
house?, the Roman Catholic cathedral and other buildings. 
The Catholic bishop, two French priests, two French sisters 
and a large number of Chinese converts were killed. The 
Russian punitive expedition swept the country of Boxers and 
Chinese troops alike. In Moukden the Chinese soldiers fired 
the principal streets before fleeing. The Russians were from 
that time on the preponderant foreign influence in the govern- 
m:nt of Manchuria. 

In the Russo-Japanese war of 1904-5, which came as a 
result of Russian aggression in Manchuria, thousands of 
Chinese noncombatants were killed and wounded and tens of 
thousands had their homes destroyed,. Since the close of the 
war the Japanese have taken the place of the Russians as the 
influential foreign power in vSouth Manchuria, the Russian 
influence continuing in North Manchuria with Changchun 
(or Kwan-Cheng-Tzu) as a meeting place. The whole coun- 
try remains, however, a part of China, under Chinese govern- 
ment, the two foreign powers exercising sovereignty only 
on their respective railways, settlements and mines. 

During 1910-11, Manchuria was visited by a remarkably 
deadly epidemic of pneumonic plague, 44,000 deaths taking 
place without a single recover5^ The Chinese authorities in 
Moukden, with the help of British missionary doctors and 
others,, w^orked hard and with gratifying success to prevent 
the spread of the infection. A young doctor, Arthur Jackson, 
died of plague and is buried about a mile outside Moukden 
on ground given by the Chinese government. In April, 1911, 
an international conference was held in Moukden to investi- 
gate the nature of the disease and to devise methods for the 
prevention of a future epidemic. 



256 HANDBOOK 1?0R CHINA 

Shan-hai-kwan. — This town, on the boundary between^ 
Chihli and Manchuria, is 260 miles from Peking. It is here 
that the northern terminus of the Great Wall is to be seen and 
for many travelers this is the only view they obtain of this 
great monument. The cit}-, which is unimportant, is about 
four miles from the Great Wall, which was formerly built to 
the sea, but that portion of it v/as destroyed long ago, The 
line of the wall can be seen from here for many miles crossing 
valleys and climbing precipitous mountain sides, sometimes to 
a height of 1000 feet. A visit to a celebrated Taoist temple 
on the top of one of the near-by hills is well worth the trouble^ 
because of the magnificent view that is to be obtained at its 
elevation of 1500 feet. The city is one of some historical 
interest for it was from here that Wu Sen-Kv^^ei, who was in 
command of the local garrison, appealed to the near-by 
Manchus to come to the aid of the Ming dynasty and regain 
Peking from the rebel Li (see paige 49). The Manchu troops 
occupied the city in May 1644, and shortly thereafter 
made their victorious entry into Peking. In fact most of the 
history of the city has to do with the military affairs of China 
and Manchuria. 

Shan-hai-k^\an was a scene of great activity during the 
Boxer siege, for it was here that the foreign troops were 
landed for their march on Peking and the city was then 
occupied by foreign troops, some of which remain in garrison. 
The railway hotel, which was built then, affords comfortable 
accommodation for travelers. There is a fine beach Vv'hicb 
many foreigners visit during the summer. 

Karbin. — This is an important railway center where 
passengers from Europe, Vladivostock, China or Japan change 
trains to continue their journey. Here the southern section 
of the Chinese Eastern Railway which connects v/ith the 
South Manchuria at Changchun, forms a junction with the 
main line, the eastern continuation of the Siberian trunk line. 
Though there are four stations in Harbin all trains con- 
verge at the commodious Central Station, where there are 
large waiting rooms and a restaurant. Harbin is 495 miles 
from Vladivostock, 874 miles from Peking, and 5100 miles 



CHANGCHUN 257 

irom Pctroi;rad* Hotels: Grand, Metropole and Orient, all 
run on the /American plan under Russian management. Run- 
:ners of the principal hotels meet all trains and look after 
tickets and baggage. Russian, French and German are the 
principal European languages spoken here, and very few speak 
English. As Russian interests are predominant here Russian 
currency was formerly in most general use but at the present 
time Japanese coins are dominant. Many counterfeit coins 
are in circulation and the traveler should be on his guard. 

Harbin is a new town, owing its existence to the con- 
struction of the Chinese Eastern Railway, and was not of 
much importance until the Russo-Japanese war, after which 
its growth became phenomenal. It now has a population of 
about 50,000. The city is built on the leased ground of the 
Chinese Eastern Railway, a tract of 29,000 acres, and con- 
sists of three parts. Old Harbin, New Town and Wharf Dis- 
trict. The station is located in New Town, Old Harbin 
being about two miles distant. The latter was formerly the 
business center of the place, during the construction of the 
railway, but with the establishment of the station, the interests 
of the city followed. The old section is now important only 
as tlie location of the barracks, residences of the railway, 
officials etc. New Tovv^n has all of the appeavance of a 
European cit}^ with wide regular streets, which radiate from 
the cathedral. The hotels, railway agencies, post office. 
banks, etc. are all located in this section, near the station. 
The wharf section on the river northwest of the station is an 
important business center. There is little in Harbin to 
.attract the visitor to a lengthy stay and for most it is only a 
waiting place between trains. These will find some amuse- 
ment in the public gardens or the interesting shipping on the 
Sungari River. 

The principal industry of Harbin is flour milling, the 
capital invested in the local mills amounting to more than 
-five million dollars. All of the wheat comes from the farms 
of North Alanchuria. 

Changchun. — Three railways converge at Changchun, it 
^l)eing the northern terminus of the South Manchuria Railway 



258 HANDBOOK i^R CHINA 

the southern termhius of the Chinese Eastern Railway and the 
western terminus of the Changchun-Kirin line. Passengers 
traveling by any of these lines for a destination be3'ond 
Changchun must change cars here. It is well to note that 
there is a difference between the official times of the railways, 
the Russian railway time-tables being 23 minutes earlier than 
the Japanese time-tables. The Yamato Hotel is near the sta- 
tion of the South Manchuria Railway. Post-offices : Chinese, 
Japanese and Russian. Changchun, like Harbin, ov/es its 
importance to the railways and contains nothing of any his- 
torical interest. It is an important center for the bean trade 
and is also famous for its horse fair which is held daily in a. 
suburb of the city outside the South Gate. The horses are of 
Mongolian breed mostly fit only for draught purposes, but a 
few good riding horses are offered for sale. The city has 
a population of about 130,000 Chinese, 5,000 Japanese and 
600 Russians. 

The Changchun-Kirin Railw^ay connects with Kirin, 80 
miles distant. Kirin is an important trading town with a 
population of about 200,000, located on the navigable portion 
of the Sungari River. 

Missions : Irish Presbyterian, with hospital, church, etc. 
in the Chinese part of the city. 

Dairen (Dalny). — This is the Southern terminus of the 
South Manchuria Railway, 246 miles south of Moukden, and 
the principal seaport of Manchuria. Japanese post office.. 
Yamato Hotel. 

The territory now occupied by Dalny was included in 
the lease of Port Arthur obtained by Russia from China in 
1898. Though a place of great natural advantages, as a port, 
it had never been developed by the Chinese, and was then 
merely a collection of fishermen's huts. Russia immediately 
began an extended scheme of improvement and in six years 
'accomplished wonders, laying cut beautiful streets planted 
with trees and lined with fine residences. The Russian popu- 
lation grew fo more than three thousand. The city is built 
close to the shore at an elevation of a little more than fifty 



SOUTH MANCHURIA RAILWAY 259 

feet, giving an excellent drainage system. The principal streets- 
radiate from circles where spacious public gardens are Iqcated^ 

In six years the Russians spent about 20 million roubles 
on Dalny and then it fell into the possession of the Japanese 
as one of the richest prizes of the Russo-Japanese war. The 
Russian plans have been carried out and amplified by the 
Japanese an)l Dalny is now one of the most rapidly growing 
and most modern cities in the Far East. A new breakwater 
and lighthouse have recently been completed and the city is 
replacing Newchwang in importance as a Manchurian port. 
It has a system of tramways, macadamized roads., electric 
lights, telephones, and an Electric Park built along the lines 
of the American electric parks. The Japanese population of 
the place is about 30,000, Chinese, 20,000 and all others less 
than 100. Steamers sail twice weekly for Shanghai, and there 
is also steamer connection with the principal ports of Japan^ 
and several lines are now running direct from Dairen ta 
ports on the Pacific Coast of the United States. 

Hoshigaura (Star Beach) is about five miles from the city, 
connected by an electric tram line. A cliff garden has been 
laid out and a hotel built there, with several bungalows in 
European and Japanese style, which are let to visitors. Ro- 
ko-san is a pretty spot near Dalny reached by a good carriage 
road. It is on the seacoast where divers, for a small fee, will 
give exhibitions of their skill in the clear sea water. 

South Manchuria Railway. — The main line of this im- 
portant railway extends from Changchun to Dairen, a distance 
of 435 miles. There is one daily through train each way and 
in addition three Continental express trains each week, 
making connections at Changchun or at Harbin with the 
Siberian express trains and connecting at Dairen with 
steamers for Shangliai, or for ports in Japan and the United 
States. 

Principal points along the line (express train stops) are: 
Miles from Miles from 

Dairen Changchun 

Dairen (see page 250) 435 

5 Chou-shui-tzu 430 



-.260 HANDBOOK FOR CHINA 

Branch line to Port Arthur con- 
nects here with main line. 
20 Chinchou 415 

The walled town, population about 
10,000, lies about 1 mile northwest of 
the station. Nanshan, a plateau 
beginning southwest of the station 
was the scene of one of the most 
fiercely contested battles Qi the 
Russo-Japanese War. 
28 Er-shih-li tai 407 

65 Wa-fang-tien 360 

90 Wan-chia-ling 345 

110 Hsiung-yo-cheng 325 

148 Ta-shih-chiao 287 

Branch line to Yingkou or Newchwang 
(see page 255) connects with main line. 
168 Hai-cheng 276 

2Q6 Liao3'ang 229 

One of the oldest towns in Man- 
churia, its history going back to 1400 
B.C. Formerly a place of some com- 
mercial importance, but of recent 
years its trade has dwindled. Con» 
tains several interesting old temples. 
Population 40.000. 
236 Su-chia-tun 199 

Branch line to the Fushun colliery. 
246 Moukden or Fengtien 183 

(see page 248) 
290 Tiehling 145 

The most important city between 
Moukden and Changchun and a great 
center for the bean trade. Popula- 
tion, 30,000. 
311 Kai-yuan 124 

324 Ma-chung-ho 111 

A prolongation of the Great Wall 



LTJSHUN 26t 

of China may be seen here. 
330 Chang-tu 105 

The town, population 14,000, is five 
miles northwest of the station. 
364 Szu ping chieh 171 

This unimportant town is noted 
as the meeting place of the Japanese 
and Russian commissioners after 
the w^ar. ' 

397 Kung-chu-h*ng 38 ' 

Three miles northwest of the sta- 
tion is the tomb of a Chinese prin- 
cess, daughter of Taitsung, (1617- 
1643) who died here on her way 
to marry a Mongolian king. 
435 Changchun (see page 249) 

Lushun (Port Arthur) — This world-famous place if 
known as Lushun by the Japanese, but by foreigners will 
probably continue to be known as Port Arthur. It is 39 miles 
froniDairen with which it is connected by railway and steam- 
ship lines. The railway journey is less than two hours. 
Hotel, Yamato. 

Port Arthur, once the pride of the system of coast 
defenses which China was developing, was taken by the Japan- 
ese in 1894, a victory which assured the success of Japan iit 
the war with China Russia, Germany and France, posing as 
friends of China, prevented Japan from taking possession of 
the place, but four years later brought pressure to bear which 
forced China to lease the position to Russia. Under the 
Russians the original fortifications were improved upon 
until it became known as the "Gibraltar of the Far East.'* 

In the Russo-Japanese war. Admiral Togo attacked the 
place, February 8, 1904, blockading th2 harbor. The presence 
of mines in the channel made it impracticable to continue the 
sea attack, but the blockade was maintained. The land forces 
began a siege of the place in May, the siege being marked by 
many battles until the surrender of the position on January 
1, 1905. The Japanese, in the surrender, took as prisoners 



262 H AK DBOO K ^OR C H I N A 

878 officers and 23,491 men. The booty included 59 permanent 
fortSj four battleships and moje than fifty smaller ships. 

The principal points of interest in Port Arthur are, of 
course, connected with the great battle which brought it into 
fame.j Good carriage roads lead to the vicinity of nearly all 
the forts and the Chinese drivers know the names and locations 
of all of them. The principal coast, batteries are on Tiger's 
Tail Promontory and Golden Hill, places which have recently 
been opened to visitors. The Japanese are very jealous of this 
stronghold and visitors who carry kodaks should be careful 
not to arouse the suspicions of the authorities, wh9 are always 
ready to suspect espionage. ^ 

One day can well be spent in viewing the main line of 
fortifications which include East Cockscomb Hill (Tungchi- 
kuan-shan or Higashi-eikwan-zan), Eagle's Nest Hill (Bo 
dai), Two Dragon Hill (Er-lung-shan or Niryu-zan). If 
there is time to do so a visit should be made to 203 Meter 
Hill, which will add a great deal to a realization of the 
stupendous task which contronted the Japanese attackers. It 
is one of the highest hills surrounding the city and was 
considered a strategic point of the greatest importance. The 
Japanese attack on the hill began on November 27 and ended 
December 6, 1904, when the stronghold fell after nine days 
and nights of desperate attacks. With the possession of this 
point, the Japanese had a great advantage and in less than a 
month the fortress fell. A visit to the hill will require the 
better part of a day but bn a clear day the view from the top^: 
will embrace the v/hole of the country around Lushun. A 
pair of field glasses will add a great deal to the pleasure of 
the excursion. 

On the high mole, known as Monument Hill, which 
divides the old town from the new, is the national mausoleum 
containing the remains of 22,000 soldiers who died here. A 
monument 218 feet high is erected in their honor on the 
summit of the hill. A stairway leads to a platform at the top 
of the monument, where an excellent view of the bay can 
be secured. 

A very interesting Memorial Museum, which should be 



CHE^oo 265: 

visited, is located near the old town. It contains a fine 
collection of all kinds of war material, military stores, am^ 
munition, clothing, etc. The approach is lined by models of 
trenches, wire entanglements, etc., the whole making a very 
impressive and interesting exhibit of the machinery of war. 
The museum is open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Mondays ex- 
cepted. 

Newchwang (Yingkou). — For more than forty yeara 
Newchwang was- the only treaty port in Manchuria, and it 
was formerly of great commercial importance. The name of 
the place now known as Newchwang to foreigners is really 
Yingkou, the real Newchwang being 30 miles up the river. 
When the place was opened for foreign residence, the for- 
eigners found Yingkou to be more suitable than Newchwang 
and arbitrarily settled there, changing the name of the 
place to suit the requirements of the treaty. The country is 
flat and uninteresting and the town has nothing of interest to 
offer tl>3 visitor. 

Churches and Missions: St. Nicholas (Church of 
England), Irish Presbyterian and Roman Catholic. 

Moukden to Antung (Ampo Line.) — During the 
Russo-Japanese war the Japanese built a narrow-gauge line of 
railway from Moukden to Antung, a distance of 189 miles, for 
military uses. This was later turned over to the South Man- 
churia Railway Co. and made a standard-gauge railway on 
which there is now an express-train service traversing the 
distance in 6 hrs. 40 m. The whole line passes through some 
very interesting scenery and presents numerous examples of 
engineering skill. On the line are 24 tunnels and 212 
bridges. At Antung connection is made with the Korean 
(Chosen) railways and through them, by wSy of Fusan, with 
the railway system of Japan. 

There are no towns along the line ot any importance, 
and Antung does not merit a visit. 

Chefoo.— One of the principal ports of call for coasting 
steamers in North China is Chefoo, two days' journey from 
Shanghai, located on the west of Chefoo Bay. Post offices; 
British^ French, Japanese. Hotels : Astor House, Beach, 



264 HANDBOOK I?OR CHINA 

Sea View. Consulates: Great Britain, Belgium, France, 
Japan, Sweden and United States. Opened to foreign 
trade in March, 1863. The Chinese population is about 
80,000. More than half of the 400 foreigners accredit- 
ed to Chefoo are missionaries who reside in the interior. 
The dry salubrious climate and the beautiful shore makes 
Chefoo popular as a summer residence for foreigners, though 
it has few places of interest. The trade amounts to about 40 
million' taels annually. The real name of the place is Yentai, 
but foreigners have arbitrarily given it the name of Chefoo^ 
which properly belongs to a large village on the opposite side 
of the bay. The principal exports are hair nets, fresh eggs, 
bean cake and straw braid. It is an important distributing 
point for American kerosene. 

Chefoo is a well-known center for silk and lace manu- 
facture, and both articles can be purchased here at lower 
prices than elsewhere. Near Chefoo grov^r the dwarf oaks 
from the leaves of which pongee or Shantung silk is produc- 
ed. The best know^n gold mine in China is at Chou-Yuoen 
about 40 miles southwest of Chefoo, which has produced 
several million dollars' worth of the metal. 

Missions : China Inland, Church of England, American 
Presbyterian, American Baptist, Roman Catholic. The large 
school of the China Inland Mission for the children of mis- 
sionaries is a conspicuous object on the beach to the east of 
the town. 

Weahaiwei. — The British leased territory of Weihaiwei 
is on the south side of the Gulf of Pechili, near the extremity 
of the Shantung promontory, about 115 miles from Port 
Arthur and an equal distance from Tsingtau, two days from 
Shanghai. Weihaiwei was formerly a Chinese naval station, 
which was captured by the Japanese in 1895 and held by 
them pending payment of the indemnity agreed upon at the 
close of the war. The battle of Weihaiwei, one of the prin- 
cipal encounters in the war between China and Japan, was 
distinguished by the gallant conduct of Admiral Ting, com- 
mander of the Chinese Squadron. He had retreated here 
after a defeat on the Yalu, but despite the battered condition 



WEI 11 a:\ve5 26S. 

of his vessels prepared to resist the Japanese attack which 
began on January 30th. The modern forts of the Chinese 
fell in quick succession. However, despite the continued 
success of the Japanese, Admiral Ting held out bravely until 
February 12th, when he sent up the white flag of surrender and 
then committed suicide, several of his officers following his 
example. Japan remained in possession of the place three 
years. Great Britain then aided China in securing funds for 
the payment of the indemnity, and in return was given the 
lease of Weihaiwei. The lease provided for the occupation 
of the place by Great Britian '' for so long a period as Port 
Arthur shall remain in the occupation of Russia." Though 
Port Arthur was soon thereafter taken from Russia by Japan, 
no move has been made to surrender Weihaiwei, which 
is a sanatorium for the British Squadron in China. 

The territory is covered by mountains, the highest 
range being Mount MacDonald (1589 feet) whose summit is 
crowned with the remains of old temples and altars, erected 
at a time when this was one of the sacred mountains of China. 
From the summit the whole of the leased territory may be 
seen. Other high points include Mount Lansdowne (1367 
feet,) Mount Goschen (1343 feet) and Temple Peak (1240 

feet.) ''The formation of the rocks can only be 

described as extraordinary, conformity being conspicuous by 
its absence. For absolute confusion of rocks the tourist is 
recommended to explore the coast to the east of Water Witch 
Bay. An interesting example of brecciated structure may be 
seen near Three Peaks Point, in a cliff some 150 feet in height. 
A magnificent monolith of white quartz twelve feet high 
adorns the crest of Mount MacDonald. Gold has been 
found both in alluvial deposits and in reefs and has been 
worked by the Chinese." 

The leased territory includes the island of Liukung, all 
the islands in the bay and a belt of land for ten miles along 
the coast, the whole territory amounting to 285 square miles. 
It includes more than 300 villages, with a total estimated 
population of 150,000. ^ Since the British occupation the 
place has been greatly improved, many roads having beeti 



266 HANDBOOK FOR CHINA 

built and a large hotel erected. With Tsingtau, Chefoo arid 
other northern coast points, it shares in the summer-resort 
patronage from the more southern places. The climate is 
fine the whole year and sea bathing is^ possible from May to 
October. 

The bay offers excellent anchorage, the harbor being 
guarded by the island of Liukung, two miles long, Wci- 
haiwei is a port of call for steamers running along the 
coast, having direct connection with Shanghai, Chefoo and 
Tientsin. 

Tsingtau. — Three hundred miles north of Shanghai, at 
the entrance to Kiaochow Bay, is the city and port of 
Tsingtau. This was formerly a small and unimportant 
fishing village, but in 1898 the territory was leased to 
Germany for a period of 99 years, and since that time it has 
been developed into a city of great commercial importance. 
The pretext on which Germany demanded the lease of the 
territory was the murder in Shantung of two German mis- 
sionaries. The German Squadron occupied the bay Novem- 
bejr 14, 1897. 

The town has been built since that date. It is well laid 
out, has many handsome foreign residences and the streets 
are well lighted by electricity. In the few year? the place 
was held by Germany many factories were erected and a 
railway line built to Tsinanfu where it connects with 
the Tientsin-Pukow line. The first sod on the Shantung 
railway was cut by Prince Henry of Prussia. The area 
of the leased territory is 193 square miles, in addition to 
which a sphere of influence 30 miles from all points of the 
leased territory is recognized. This brings the total area up 
to about 2750 square miles. Tsingtau has a foreign popula- 
tion of less than one thousand, and a Chinese population of 
about 60,000. The bay, almost surrounded by mountains, af- 
fords good shelter and has been greatly improve' d, though it is 
not free from ice in the winter. The entrance is half a mile 
across, marked by a lighthouse. A long pier and a large dock 
are among the many improvements which the Germans 
added to the harbor. Among the notable conservation 



TSINANFU 267 

schemes carried out is the planting of trees on the barren 
hillsides. Many good automobile roads have been built con- 
necting with the villages in the interior. Tsingtau is one of 
the most popular summer resorts on the China coast, and 
has several good hotels. A fine bathing beach and a number 
of interesting excursions to the near-by mountains add to its 
attractions. 

On August 16, 1914, at the outbreak of the European 
War, Japan demanded that Germany surrender the leased 
zone and on Germany failing to comply with this demand, 
the place was attacked by Japanese and British forces by land 
and sea. It was surrendered on November 7, 1914, and since 
that time has been in possession of the Japanese. 

Missions : In addition to strong Roman Catholic insti- 
tutions, there aire two German Protestant Missions, the Amer- 
ican Presbyterian and the British and Foreign Bible vSociety, 

Tsinanfu. — This city, the capital of Shantung province, 
is at the junction of the Tientsin- Pukow Railway and the 
Shantung Railway from Tsingtau, b*ing 260 miles west of 
Tsingtau and an equal distance south of Tientsin. Popula- 
tion about 350,000. Foreign hotels : Plotel Trendel and Hotei 
Stein ; runners meet the trains. 

According to local history a city was established on the 
present site of Tsinanfu during the lifetime of the Great Yu, 
or about 4000 years ago. At any rate a 'city bearing the 
name Tsinanfu was located 25 miles to the east. About 
300 A. D. for some unknown reason this city was moved 
bodily to the present site of Tsinanfu, the name being 
transferred as well. According to the legend a line of 
men was formed shoulder to s'houlder between the two cities 
and the bricks forming the wall were passed from hand ta 
hand, all being moved in one night. There was so much 
breakage that although the walls before being moved were 20 
li in circum.f erence, the bricks served to build only 12 li here. 

As evidence of the great antiquity of the place and of the 
associations it had with famous characters of ancient history, 
residents point out inside the south gate of the city a well 
said to have been dug by Emperor Shun. The well is still 



20B HANDBOOK FOR CHINA 

in daily use. The stone suburban wall, outside the city wall 
proper, is of recent construction, having been erected as 
a means of protection against the Taiping rebels. 

The Yellow River, five miles to the north, runs in flood 
time high above the level of the city, which is protected 
by thick embankments'. The great plain which extends from 
Tsinanfu to Peking is broken only by a few small hills, while 
to the south the country is very broken and mountainous. The 
city is built at the foot of a range of these hills and receives 
an excellent supply of water from a lake on the north. The 
north wall runs through a swamp enclosing within the city 
walls a large area, about one-fourth of the total, unfit for 
building purposes. This lake *'is divided into lots which 
belong to various owners, who raise thereon reeds, lotus 
roots, and beautiful water lilies, besides frogs — a table 
delicacy here — and fish. Separating the lots are lanes of 
clear water, lined during the summer season on both sides 
with tall reeds, through which run boats that are in great 
demand during the hot weather, earring pleasure-seekers to 
the various tea-houses and temples located in various parts 
of the lake." 

Among the points of interest in Tsinanfu may be men- 
tioned the Confucian (or Public) Library, with its pictures- 
que gardens located on the edge of the lake and accessible 
from the mainland. Some of the notable inscriptions found 
in Shantung province have been preserved here. A short 
distance from the library is the Provincial Assembly Hall. 

Shoppers will find the most attractive articles on the 
main street which is from 12 to 23 feet wide and runs from 
cast to west. To foreigners the most interesting articles are 
imitations of precious stones, manufactured locally. 

Up to the time of the Boxer trouble Tsinanfu was one of 
the most conservative cities in China, having little to do 
with foreigners or foreign institutions. Since that time, 
however, it has become very progressive and is now the loca- 
tion of many government schools, a hospital, etc. conducted 
on Western lines. It has also become a center for missionary 
work. In the south suburb is located the very interesting 



TSINAN^U 269 

museum of the English Baptist Mission. This museum has 
attracted so much attention among the Chinese that the 
average daily attendance is about one thousand. Adjoining 
the site of the English Baptist Mission is the Union Medical 
College; its fine building was erected in 1910. The hospitals; 
and other enterprises of the American Presbyterian Mission 
are located in the west suburb. 

Tsinanfu was voluntarily opened for foreign settlement, 
by the Chinese government in 1906, being the first city in 
China in w^hich such action was taken. Several foreign firms 
and two foreign hotels are now located there as well as a 
fine foreign settlement covering a little more than one square 
mile. Since the opening of the Tientsin-Pukow^ railway the; 
settlement has been growing rapidly. 

The beautiful ''Hill of the Thousand Buddhas" is near 
the city and may be easily reached from the south gate by 
wheelbarrow or ricsha. "The view from the temple on this; 
hill over the city lying at its feet, out over the plain and 
across the Yellow River, four miles from the city to the 
north, is very extensive, and when the fields are covered 
with growing crops, a very beautiful one, but it is surpassed 
in the extent and variety of the scenery by that from Pagoda 
Hill, from the top of which can be seen not only the plain 
to the north with the Yellow River winding through it, but 
also the rugged mountainous country extending as far as the 
eye can reach to the south. From the top of this Pagoda 
Hill may be seen, on clear days, the form of Taishan, the 
sacred mountain of Shantung, lying fifty niiles to the south 
and surrounded on all sides by billowy hills. There is a 
legend which represents Tsinan as being fastened to the pa- 
goda on the summit of Pagoda Mountain by an invisible rope, 
which if ever severed through any evil influence will allow 
the city to float out into the swamp lying north of the town.'- 
© The Temple of the Dragon's Cave, eight miles from the 
city, is one of the most picturesque in China. The temple 
lies at the bottom of a deep gorge and there are several cavej 
in the surrounding limestone cliffs. 

Travelers who expect to visit Tai Shan, or the tomb of 



2?0 '' HANDBOOK FOR CHINA 

Confucius can make arrangements for the trip at Tsinanfu, 
securing bedding, provisions and guides from the hotel. 

The Yellow River. — A few miles north of Tsinanfu the 
Yellow River is crossed on the famous bridge constructed 
by German engineers, the most important bridge in China 
and one of the longest in the world, its length being 4180 
feet. Work on this structure was begun in 1906 and extended 
over a period of more than three years, the total cost being 
about $5,000,000 (Mexican.) Owing to the swiftness of the 
current, the shifty nature of the stream and the lack of solid 
foundations, the bridge was constructed under a great many 
difficulties, but is now believed to be proof against any changes 
of the very treacherous river. The foundations are sunk 
about 60 feet below the low water level, the bridge being built 
on reinforced concrete piles of that length. So many piles 
have been driven that it is believed the bridge would be 
secure even if the earth should be washed away from the 
concrete foundation of the piers. 

This great stream, about 2500 miles in length, drains an 
area of 47,500 square miles. Scarcely a aecade in tlie last 
century has passed without some devastating outbreak of 
this river. Enormous sums of money have been spent in 
the construction of powerful dykes and the natural sand banks 
of the stream have in places been faced by stone embankments. 
In 1848 the embankment broke at Laoyang Hsien ; in 1868 
at a point near Chengchow ; in 1869 another break occurred 
at the same place and a large area was covered. When the 
water receded it was found that the land had been covered 
by sand and rendered unfit for cultivation. 

"- The river has been following this course only since 1852. 
During 146 years, from 1048 to 1194, the river poured its 
waters into the sea at Tientsin through the mouth of the Pei- 
ho. Then the course was changed and it emptied into the 
Yellow Sea 400 miles to the southward until 1852 when the 
present course was adopted in a time of flood. It is unique 
among the great rivers of the world in that it is of practi- 
cally no value for navigation. 

"What mi:&t be said of the mental status of a people 



TIENTSIN-PUKOW RAILWAY 271 



who for forty centuries have measured their strength against 
such a Titan racing past their homes abo»ve the level of 
their fields, confined only between walls of their own 
construction? While they have not always succeeded in 
controlling the river, they have never failed to try again. In 
1877 this river broke its banks, inundating a vast area, 
bringing death to a million people. Again as late as 
1898, 1500 villages to the northeast of Tsinanfu and a much 
larger area to the southwest of the same city were devastated 
by it.^'* 

Tientsin-Pukow Railway. — This line, one of the Gov- 
ernment railways of China, was opened for through traffic in 
1912, and affords the quickest service between North China 
and the eastern part of the Yangtsze Valle3\ The trip from 
Pukow to Tientsin, a distance of 631 miles, occupies about 
twenty-seven hours, making it possible to go from Shanghai 
to Peking in thirty-six hours. At Tientsin the road connects 
with the government railways of North China, and at Pukow 
it connects by ferry with the Nanking terminus of the Shang- 
hai-Nanking Railway. 

The negotiations for the construction of this line resulted 
in dividing the work between Germany and England. The 
northc-rn portion, from Tientsin to the Grand Canal, was 
built by German capital and engineers, while the southern 
portion, from the Grand Canal to Pukow, was built by British 
capital and engineers. Both sections are under purely Chi- 
nese control. Passengers will notice a striking contrast 
between the German and British portions of the line. On the 
former all the stations have been equipped witi) pretentious 
buildings of brick, stone and tile, each one bein^ oi a different 
style of architecture, but all containing Chinese ideas as 
interpreted by the German architects. In the British section 
the stations are severely plain, being but little more than brick 
sheds with galvanized iron roofs. Construction on the Brit- 
ish section cost £10,600 per mile and on the German section 
about £14,000 per mile. The greater part of the road runs 



• 'Farmers of Forty Centuries,*' Vy Professor y. H. King. 



27Z HANDBOOK I'OR CHINA 

through prairie country with a few miles of mountainous 
country in Shantung. Between Tientsin and the Yellow 
" River the country is very flat, and the soil contains a large 
proportion of loess. 

Important points on the line are : 
Miles from Miles from 

Tientsin, Pukow 

Tientsin (see page 244). 631 

78 Tsangchow. 553 

148 Techow. 483 ^ ^ 

220 Tsinanfu (see page 259). Con- 411 

nection is made here with the Shan- 
tung Railway for Tsingtau. A few 
miles north of Tsinanfu the Yellow 
River is crossed. . ^ 

265 Taianfu (see page 266). ' Z6& 

308 Chufou (see page 269). Express 323 

trains do not stop at this station. 
Travelers going to the tomb of Con- 
fucius may descend at Yenchowfu. 
318 \ Yenchowfu. Tomb of Confucius 315 

distant 13 miles. 
^ Z77 Lincheng. 254 

392 Hanchuang. The railway crosses 239 

the Grand Canal near this station 
(see page 246).. To the west is a 
lake which serves as a storehouse 
for the canal 'during the winter 
months. 
420 Hsuchowfu. At this point the 271 

. trunk line from Kaifengfu to the 
coast joins the Tientsin-Pukow line. 
The station stands on the old bed 
. of the Yellow River. 

^^,523 \ Pengpu. ,. lOS 

.(531 Pukow (see page 273). A ferry Q 

across the Yangtsze connects with 
-I^ankingi ;,., :^:.'y ■-..:■.■ ^- ' '■ 



SH VNTUNG PROVINC]^ 273 



Sinantung Province. — The area of Shantung is 53 762 
square miles, and it has a population of almost 40 millions. 
The hilly and mountainous portions of the south and east 
occupy almost half the area of the province, the remainder 
being a plain. The mountains of the eastern portion follow 
the shore line closely, rising sheer from the sea and mak- 
ing landing difficult. Only towards the extremity of the • 
promontory are there any natural harbors. There are now 
no forests in the province though near the home of Confucius 
the noble groves indicate the former beauty of the countr3\ 
There are many fine orchard tracts including pears, apples, 
Vv^alnuts and persimmons and some important vinej^ards. In 
the hills are the wild mulberry and oak plantations from 
which pongee silk is made. The soil of Shantung has been 
tilled continuously for many centuries and is consequently 
greatly impoverished, but continues to produce a minimum of 
three crops every two years. ''Wheat, millet, maize, sorg- 
hum, sweet potatoes, peanuts, hemip, indigo, and a variety of 
i)ean and pea crops are regularly grown. . . Apples, pears, 
apricots, peaches, nectarines, plums, cherries, grapes, and 
persimmons are plentiful." ^he Shantung men are very 
much larger than the Southern Chinese, being of about the 
same average stature as Europeans. Men six feet tall are 
not infrequently seen. They are " stalwart^ well-built men, 
steadfast, blunt, outspoken, persevering, not so easily roused 
as the men of the southern provinces, nor so easily pacified, 
but yet sharing other common characteristics of the race. 
Mentally the Shantungese are hard-headed and incredulous 
in their dealings with fellow mortals, though they manifest 
the opposite of these qualities in their relations with the spirit 
world. They are more convinced idolators than are to be 
found in most of the provinces of China, if we may judge 
from a certain readiness to argue in defense of popular 
deities." 

A large part of the present province of Shantung \yas 
once the feudal state of Lu, w^hich was granted by the founcer 
of the Chow dynasty to his brother Tan, ** who there carved 
out for himself a realm and reigned, loved by his subjects and 



274 HANDBOOK FOR CHINA 



revered in all later ages, as the sainted patriarch Chou Kung, 
a sort of Alfred among the lords of old/' Of all the feudal 
states abolished by Emperor Shih Hwang-ti, that of Luwas 
probably the most persistent in its attempts to regain inde- 
pendence. There were princes of Lu under the Han dynasty 
and as late as the Mings — sixteen centuries after the con- 
solidation of the empire of China — attempts were made to 
re-establish the state. 

Tai Shan. — The great sacred mountain of Tai 3han, 
(5100 feet high) is 45 miles south of Tsinanfu on the Tien- 
tsin-Pukow Railway at Taianfu. The city itself is dirty and 
uninteresting. This is probably the oldest sacred mountain in 
the world, pilgrims having made their periodical visits to the 
place for several thousand years. According to tradition 
Emperor ShuQ, sacrificed there in the 23rd century B. C. The 
mountain is covered with temples and is the location of many 
spots of great fame. 

For many centuries Tai Shan has held a high place in the 
religion and mythology of the Chinese; and Confucianists, 
Buddhists and Taoists alike have made pilgrimages to it. 
Many of the early Emperors visited the place and left 
mementos of their visits in temples, obelisks and monuments, 
though many of these objects pointed ont by the guide are of 
later date than he vv^ould have you believe. 

The annual pilgrimage to the mountain takes place from 
February to May, when as many as ten thousand people 
will make the ascent in one day. A guild of chair-bearers 
will carry one up and down the mountain, making the 
round trip in a day but most of the devout prefer ta 
make the trip on foot while some ascend on their knees. 
It is curious to note that the guild whose members have a 
monopoly of chair carrying are Mohammedans, An old local 
law inflicts severe penalties on any coolie who slips or allows 
a chair to drop in making the trip. The chair used is a con- 
trivance peculiar to Tai Shan and found in no other part of 
China, It is a very uncomfortable conveyance unless soften- 
ed by pillows or blankets. The ascent to the top, 15 miles^ 



TAI SHAN 275 



takes 6 hours and the descent half that time. The usual 
charge for a chair is $3.00. 

The remarkable mountain road which leads to the sum- 
mit, starting outside the North gate of Taianfu, is paved 
its entire length, and the ascent is made with 6300 stone 
steps. The road at places is twelve to fifteen feet wide 
and is a splendid testimonial to the engineering skill of the 
ancient Chinese. For more than half the way the road follows 
a mountain stream whose cascades and waterfalls add much 
to the beauty of the scenery. It leads through fine groves, 
the lower part being bordered by cypress which give way to 
pines above the 3000 foot level. About halfway up the hill 
one of the principal temples is reached, marked by a gateway 
which is knov/n as "The Middle Gate of Heaven." After 
this comes the steepest part of the ascent, a part of the 
roadway being provided on each side with chains placed there 
for the aid of weary pilgrims. Farther on is another con- 
spicuous gateway called "The Southern Gate of Heaven.'^ 
From a small village near this gate, the road leads to the 
summit by an easy grade. Here there are a number of pre- 
tentious temples, the highest one being dedicated to Yu-huang, 
the Taoist Emperor of the Sky. The chief temple is dedicat- 
ed to P'i'hsia Yuan-chun, the jade lady goddess of Chinese 
mythology. A slightly smaller temple honors the memory of 
Confucius and contains a copy of the famous image of the 
sage in the temple at Chufou. Farts of the temples at the 
top are very old but being kept in perfect repair the older 
parts are often unnoticed by the casual sightseer The cast- 
iron tiles on the temple to ''The Old Lady of the Mountain" 
have been in use since the 15th centur3^ Near by are 
cliffs over which devotees formerly threw themselves to the 
rocks below. So great was the loss of life that the authorities 
have guarded the place with a high wall, yet in spite of this, 
some lives are sacrificed each year. 

The view from the top of Tai Shan is one of the finest 
in China. On the south one can see almost the whole valley 
of the Wen Ho, while on the north, though Tsinanfu is 
hidden, a part of the course of the Yellow River may be 



276 HANDBOOK FOR CHINA 

followed. Confucius claimed he saw the sea on the east, and 
Nanking on the south, a feat which is impassible to the 
modern traveler, but the horizon is 85 miles distant and if the 
great sage did not view the sea itself, heat least saw a spot 
located very near to the seashore. The view from the 
top embraces what might be called the Holy Land of China 
where her greatest sages Confucius and Mencius lived, taught 
and were buried. "In all the cities and villages of Shantung, 
stones from Tai Shan are much in request as talismans. It 
is believed to be unlucky for a house to be so built as to face 
a turning or a cross road. To ward off the ill luck, stones 
are inserted in the wall of the house so situated, with the 
inscription 'The stone from Tai Shan accepts the responsibi- 
lity."* Such stones have been found in every province in 
China. O 

Among the many places in and about the city of Taian, 
three temples are of especial interest. The ^'Buddhist Hell," 
not far from the railway station depicts iv life-sized clay 
figures all the horrors of future punishment. In 1900 the 
Boxers gathered and practised in this place, going out from 
here to kill the first of the missionary martyrs. Only a three 
minutes'- walk from this place is the Brass Temple, also 
devoted to "The Old Lady of the Mountain," but usually 
quite deserted. Here is the famous Golden Palace or brass 
tower which formerly stood on top of the mountain but was 
brought dovv^n here for some unknown reason about 1770. 
Twelve huge bronze figures may be seen in the temple halls, 
remarkable not only for their good casting but also for th^ir 
fine carving. The largest and most popular temple of the 
city is the Tai Miao dedicated to the Emperor Shun in the 
northeastern part of the cit)-- An Emperor of the Han 
dynasty is generally credited with planting the gnarled old 
cypress trees which to-day fill the courtyard of the templec 
Large trees growing out of crevasses in the walls attest to 
the great age of the place, and there seems to be fairly good 
evidence that some of the trees still standing date from the 
Han dynasty. There is a well preserved lotust of the Tang 
period, 600 to 900 A. D. Some oi the large metal mcense 



cnu^ou 277 

burners were made during the Sung dynasty, 960 to 1280. 
In one of the outer courts of the temple visitors are some- 
times shown an extraordinarily large slab of jade pre- 
sented by Emperor Chien Lung in 1736, held in great 
repute by reason of the local belief that one end is always 
warm and the other end always cold. During the pilgrim 
season one is likely to overlook the very interesting objects 
about the temple because of the greater interest of the mass 
of humanity which passes before one. Pilgrims from many 
provinces, but especially from Shantung, then throng the 
temple by thousands. A lively trade in souvenir toys carried 
on at this time furnishes a livelihood for the citizens for the 
remaining eight months of the year. 

There are no foreign hotels in Taianfu, but the members 
of the Methodist mission have made arrangements to entertain 
small parties of tourists in their homes and make the neces- 
sary arrangements for mountain chairs, trips to interesting 
temples in the vicinity, etc. The price of board in the Taian- 
fu homes is $4 per day. Very little English is spoken by the 
Chinese here, and visitors are advised to write in advance 
to the Superintendent of the Taianfu High School, where- 
upon arrangements will be made to meet the train and 
provide accommodation and guides. ^^. 

Chufou. — Ninety miles south of Tsinanfu on the Tien- 
tsin-Pukow Railway is Chufou, the place where Confucius 
lived and is buried. When the railway was being constructed 
a few years ago, the Duke of Kung, a lineal descendant of 
Confucius, objected to the defilement of the sacred place by 
such a barbarous thing as a foreign railway and so was able 
to keep it G*ut of Chufou, where he is very influential. It is 
therefore necessary for the visitor to ride five miles in a 
Chinese cart or wheelbarrow from the railway station. The 
fact that the Duke is now a wiser man and regrets that the 
road does not touch his city does not make the-ride any shorter. 

The principal point of interest at Chufou is the great 
cemeter}^ covering about 600 acres and containing the bones 
of the Confucian clan in all its branches for 2500 years. It 
lies outside the north gate of the city and is reached by a 



278 HANDBOOK FOR CHIxVA 

road about a mile long leading betv/een rows of magni- 
ficent old cedars. From the outer enclosure of this park-like 
cemetery an avenue of trees leads to an inner enclosure at the 
south end of the great cemetery containing many monuments 
commemorating imperial visits to the tomb, some of them 
dating back to the Sung dynasty, and also halls for wor- 
ship. Near the center of the enclosure are knolls which cover 
the remains of Confucius, his only son, and a grandson, the 
latter being the author of *'the Doctrine of the Mean." The 
tablet marking the resting place of the great sage bears the 
simple inscription, *'Ancient, Most Holy Teacher." ' Near the 
tomb is a monument marking the spot where a disciple lived 
in a hut for six years, mourning the death of his master. All 
the other disciples mourned for three years. 

The great Confucian temple, the finest in China, occupies, 
with its grounds and outlying buildings, one whole side of the 
town, about one third of the area. The lofty green tiled roofs 
are visible for a long distance. The carved stone pillars, a 
mass of interlaced dragons and tracery, that support the 
great shrine, the Ta Ch'eng Tien, *Hall of Perfection,' 
wherein the statue of Confucius reposes, are one of the 
marvels of Chinese sculpture,\ ''The sacrificial vessels are of 
priceless porcelain and bronze. The inscriptions are countless, 
many of the tablets having papers pasted to them intimating 
that rubbings are not to be taken without due authority. 
Under the eaves are masses of gay colored wood carving, 
enclosed in wire netting as a protection against birds and 
bats, yet the buildings are by no means as clean as they might 
be. On the varanda of the Ta Ch'eng Tien may be seen the 
famous sounding stones, the caps of two small pillars that, 
for some reason of which the secret is lost or well kept, rin t 
with a musical note when struck. The marble stairs and 
ramps leading to the shrines are master-pieces. Everything, 
in fact, that devotion and money can supply has been done to 
make the temple buildings the grandest specimen of Chinese 
architecture, and, as usual, they stand in a park of splendid 
trees. The roots of one very ancient cypress are carefully 
enclosed in a marble parapet. From this ancient stump, 



TSOWHSIEN 21^ 

which is said to have been planted by Confucius himself, a 
tall and vigorous stem, itself some centuries old, projects 
staight aloft to proclaim that the old root has sap and life in 
it yet. An extremely interesting and complete collection of 
ancient musical instruments is kept in the temple. Estates 
reckoned at 48,000 mow, say 8,000 acres, are devoted to the 
support of the temple and the supply of the enormous number 
of pigs, sheep and cattle required for the sacrifices, for sym- 
Lolism has not taken root here and instead of burning cheap 
paper images the worshipers of Confucius perform the full 
sacrificial rites laid down in the books of old. In a word 
the Prophet is by no means without honor in his own coun- 
try."* The original temple, built 498 B. C. was a very small 
and unpretentious building. It has been rebuilt by successive 
emperors, each one striving to out do his predecessors. 

Many things intimately connected v/ith the life of Con- 
fucius are to be seen. The well from which he drank and the 
room in Vv^hich he taught are carefully preserved. The Duke 
of Kung a direct descendant of the great sage lives in a 
large establishment not far from the temple and there are 
also nearby many mementos of Confucian disciples. 

The Chinese inns at Chufou are comparatively well kept 
and the traveler need suffer no discomforts if he carries bed 
ding for the one night it is necessary to spend there. Visitori 
are advised to make arrangements for the trip either at Tsi 
nanfu, Taianfu, or Nanking where guides can be secured. 

Though this place derives its greatest fame from the faci 
that it is the burial place of Confucius it should also gain 
renown from the fact that it is the burial place of Shau-hau, 
son of the famous third Emperor of China, Hwang-ti. Shau- 
hau reigned from 2594 to 2511 B. C, a period of 83 yea:rs, of 
which the Chinese legends give little information beyond the 
fact that the custom of embroidering representations of birds 
on the uniforms of civil officials and of beasts of prey on 
those of military officials originated during this period. 

Tsowhsien. — Seventeen miles south of Chufou on the 



" A Family Holiday Trip in IvU," by W. J. Ciennell. 



280 HANDBOOK FOR CHINA 



Tientsin-Pukow railway is Tsowhsien, the birthplace of 
Mencius, the sage who stands next to Confucius in the 
estimation of the Chinese and whom many foreigners place 
first. About midway between Chufou and Tsowhsien are two 
cemetery plots, five miles apart, the larger and more accessible 
one containing the grave of Mencius* mother, a woman very 
famous in Chinese legend. The sage is buried in a more 
isolated place, too far away for the casual visitor. However, 
both places may be visited by one willing to make the journey 
in a wheelbarrow or cart. The grave of Mencius may also 
be reached from Chufou by traveling about eight miles as it 
is about midway between Chufou and Tsowhsien, 

The chief point of interest in the town is the temple to 
Mencius, outside the south gate, with memorials of imperial 
visits second only in importance to those in the Confucian 
temple at Chufou. On the way to the temple one sees a 
memorial arch bearing the inscription, ''Ancient Site of the 
Third Change of Residence." This refers to a famous story 
told of the mother of Mencius. She first lived near a cemetery 
but found that her son amused himself mimicking the mourn- 
ers ; she then moved near a market place, where the young 
Mencius imitated the bickerings of the tradesmen. The third 
removal, commemorated by the arch, was to a site near a 
school, where the mind of Mencius developed rapidly under 
the good examples so constantly before him. 

Tsowhsien has its duke, a, descendant of Mencius. About 
1000 families in the town claim to be descendants of the sage^ 
though a large part of the clan migrated to Soochow. 

After leaving Tsowhsien, going south, there is little of 
interest on the route of the Tientsin-Pukow Railway except 
at a point just north of Hsuchowfu, (417 miles from Tientsin) 
where it is possible to see the old bed of the Yellow River, 
recognizable because it lies higher than the surrounding coun- 
try, though it is now built over with houses and is under 
cultivation. This trip from Tientsin to Pukow by rail gives 
an excellent opportunity to observe the shifting character of 
the Yellow River, which has been called "China's Sorrow," 
"The Ungovernable" and "The Scourge of the Sons of 



FUKOW 281 

Han." The coarse of the river seen near Hsuchowfu was 
formed in 1300 and followed it until 1852 when the river, in 
the course of an unusual flood, broke through its banks and 
took its present course, 300 miles to the north. 

Pukow. — This southern terminus of the Tientsin-Pukow 
railv/ay is on the northern bank of the Yangtsze, 628 miles 
from Tientsin. Passengers arriving here are transported 
across the river to Nanking by railway ferry. Those pro- 
ceeding to Shanghai are landed near the station of th€ 
Shanghai-Nanking railwayr 



HONGKONG 




Cantonese /iciur. 



(and Sooth China) 



ENERAL Information.—Hongkong is a 
crown colony of Great Britain, ceded by 
treaty with China January 25, 1841. 
The principal city is Victoria, on the 
north shore. Distance from London 
10,000 miles, from Shanghai 800 miles. 
Time, 7 lis. 35 min. in advance of 
Greenwich. Population: Chinese, nearly 
500,000; foreign, 13,000. 

Arrival. — Steamers drop anchor in the 
harbor, and are met by launches from 
the various hotels, the charge for 
landing at Blake Pier being %l for each 
person. This includes the transportation 
of a liberal amount of baggage to the 
hotel. From Blake Pier, the principal 
hotels are within easy ricsha distance. 
There are practically ^ no customs 
formalities as Hongkong is a free port. 

Hotels. — Hongkong, Astor House, 



Grand, Carleton, King Edward, Peak, 
Kingsclere (private). If a prolonged stay is intended, 
arrangements can be made for reduced weekly and monthly 
rates. 

Money. — Hongkong has its own currency, the value of 
which fluctuates daily with the price of silver. The Hongkong 
dollar is of about the same value as the Chinese dollar. 
Chinese coins do not pass as legal tender and the tourist 
should refuse to accept them. 

Newspapers.'^'Da.ily, Hongkong Daily Press, South 
China Morning Post, Hongkong Telegraph, China Mail, 

Posts and Telegraphs. — The General Post Office is in a 
handsome building on the water front and extending back to 
Des Voeux Road. Letter rates to union countries, except 
China 10 cts. for one ounce, 6 cts. for each additional ounce; 
to United Kingdom and dependencies and China (except 




I 




i.pe^ 



&£]. 






Joseph's 
College d 




PLAN OF 

u ® m % K @ m (g 

CITY OF VICTORIA 

DRAWN FOR CROW'S"HANDBOOK FOR CHINA" 







-^^^T 














■ A ■ B" 



R A 



PLAN OF 



CITY OF VICTORIA 

DRAWN FOR CROW'S "HANDBOOK FOR CHINA" 




HONGKONG 2S3 



Canton, 4 els. for each ounce ; to Canton and Macao 2 cts. for 
each 5^ oz. Oftkes of the Eastern Extension Australia and 
China Telegraph Co., the Great Northern Telegraph Co. and 
the Chinese Telegraph Administration are on the water front 
next to the Hongkong Club. 

Transportation.— Qhdiivs, 2 coolies, J^ hour, 25 cts. ; hour, 
35 cts. ; day, 6 a.m. to 5 p.m. ^1.50; 4 coolies, hour, 80 cts. : 
day, $3.50. Ricshas, 1 hour, 20 cents. Because of the large 
amount of tourist travel to Hongkong, the coolies are 
accustomed to make exorbitant demands, especially if one dis- 
plays his ignorance of the rates by paying more than the usual 
fare. Tramway to the peak, return ticket, 50 cts. Kowloon 
ferry, 15 cts. During morning and afternoon, the ferry runs 
every ten minutes ; evenings 15 minutes. Sampans, 40 cts. per 
hour. Motor boats, $2 per hour. Motor cars, $5 to $8 per 
hour. Motor launches for trips about the island may be had 
by special arrangem^ent at $3 an hour upwards. 

Consulates. — Belgium, Brazil, Chili, Denmark, France, 
Italy, Japan, Mexico, Netherlands, Portugal, Siam, Spain, 
Sweden, United States, Norway, Nicaragua, Panama, Peru. 

Cook's Office: 16 Des Voeux Road. 

Steamer Lines and Fares. — For service to Europe and 
America, see page 32 the rates for Shanghai, Hongkong and 
Japan ports being about the same. The Indo-China, China 
Merchants' and China; Navigation Cos.' steamers offer sailings 
several times weekly to Shanghai and ports in Japan. To 
Australia : Eastern and Australia, sailings every three weeks 
to Adelaide. Nippon Yusen Kaisha. monthly to Melbourne. 
To the Philippines: Indo-China S. N. Co., and the China 
Navigation Co. offer service to the Philippines amounting to 
ten sailings monthly. Several lines connect with points in 
India, the Straits Settlements. Siam etc. A popular circular 
tour is from Hongkong to Swatow, thence to Amoy and 
Foochow, returning to Hongkons-v with stopovers at all 
places. 

The occasional piratical attacks still made in the 
waters about the entrance of the West River come as 
reminders of the almost forgotten fact that Hongkong 
is one of the Ladrones, or ^'Thieves" Islands, a name 
which early Portuguese traders appropriately gave them. 
But Hongkong itself has long ago outgrown its old name, 
and as a British crown colony has been transformed in 
less than 75 years from a pirate-fisherman village with a 
population of a few thousand to one of the most 



284 HANDBOOK ^OR CHINA 

important business centers in the Far East, with a port 
which is second only to that of London in the amount of 
tonnage entering and leaving its waters. In the troubles which 
preceded the war with China, the British traders who 
were driven from Canton by the hostility of the Chinese 
found refuge in the Portuguese colony of Macao, but 
as this directed Chinese hostility toward Macao, the 
British soon left and settled on the island of Hongkong, 
feeling that they ought not to compromise the safety 
of the Portuguese settlement by remaining there. For a time 
the little community lived on board the ships until residences 
could be established, and there was some moving back and 
forth between Macao and the island. In 1840 the British 
expeditionary force arrived and made Hongkong its head- 
quarters. The island has been under the British flag ever 
since that time. However, in the early days the colony was 
found to be so unhealthful that the project of abandoning it 
was seriously discussed. In 1844 the colonial treasurer drew 
up a report in which he set forth the large number of deaths 
and gave it as his opinion that **it was a delusion to hope 
that Hongkong could ever become a commercial emporium 
like Singapore.'* These pessimistic views, though they found 
some adherents, did not prevail, and such was the progress 
made that about forty years later Sir William des Voeux was 
able to write: 'It may be doubted whether the evidences 
of material and moral achievement, presented as it were in a 
focus, make anywhere a more forcible appeal to eye and 
imagination, and whether any other spot on the earth is thus 
more likely to excite, or much more fully justifies, pride in 
the name of Englishman.'* ^ 

Hongkong is today without doubt the most beautiful 
city in the Far East and one of the foremost commercial 
centers. It is an important point for the trans-shipment of 
goods destined for South China, the Philippine Islands, and 
other near-by points. The harbor, with an area of 15 square 
miles, is well sheltered, being enclosed on two sides by lofty 
hills, which rise on the mainland to a height of 3000 feet. 
However, it is in the typhoon area, and on several occasions 



HONGKONG 235- 

great damage has been done to shipping in port. Many 
thousands of lives were lost in the typhoon of 1874. Warn- 
ings of these disturbances are now sent out, greatly decreas- 
ing the danger. The manufacturing interests of the city are 
yearly growing more important and now include several large 
sugar refineries, rope and glass factories and cement works 
Several large dry docks and ship-building works are located. 
here. 

Except for a tradition that after the fall of the Alings 
some of the courtiers fled to Hongkong and there found 
safety from the Manchus, the place cannot be said to have 
any place in history before the British occupation. A similar 
tradition is connected with Kowloon on the mainland. It is 
said that in the year 1287 the last Emperor of the Sung 
dynasty, flying from Kublai Khan, took refuge there in a 
cave. An inscription above the cave consists of Chinese 
characters meaning "Sung Emperor's Pavilion.'* 

*'0n the cession of the territory to Great Britain the 
natives petitioned the Hongkong Government that the rock 
might not be blasted or otherwise injured, on account of the 
tradition connecting it with the Imperial personage above 
mentioned. In 1898, during the administration of Major- 
General Wilsone Black, a resolution was passed by the 
Legislative Council preserving the land on which the rock 
stands for the benefit of the public in perpetuity.** 

The island of Hongkong is known to the Chinese as 
Heung-kong (Fragrant Stream or Good Harbor), but Anglo- 
Saxons have ever found the nuances of Chinese pronunciation 
diflftcult and the blunter official name has come into common 
usage. The island is 11 miles long, from 2 to 5 miles wide 
with a circumference of 25 miles and an area of 30 square 
miles. The channel which separates the island from the 
mainland is one mile wide between Victoria and Kowloon, 
narrowing to 1/4 mile at Lyemun Pass. 

Tl e island is covered with rugged hills and small valleys 
through which flow a few rocky streams. A fine military 
road winds around the greater part of the island, following: 
close on the beach, or climbing the sides of the steep hilU 



2<!>6 HANDBOOK ^OR CHINA 

which fringe the shore. A motor car trip over this road is 
charming. Many other winding roads which would do credit 
to any city in the world have been built reaching the top of 
the Peak. Most of them are beautifully shaded and afford 
excellent opportunities for fine walks. A form of exercise 
very popular in Hongkong is to ride to the top of the hill on 
chairs or in the tram and walk back to the city. The return 
trip can be made in from one-half to an hour by a good 
walker. The cable tramway leading to the top is a very 
interesting piece of engineering and no visit to Hongkong is 
complete without a trip over the line. Picnic excursions on 
launches to the many small harbors and beaches about the 
island are popular. 

The colony, Britain's first outpost on the China coast, 
v/as established in 1241 v/hen the island of Hongkong was 
ceded by the treaty of Nanking. Tvvo years later it was 
made a crown colony and has since enjoyed steady growth and 
almost uninterrupted prosperity. The colony was increased 
in 1860 by the acquisition of the Kov/loon peninsula, just 
across the harbor from Hongkong, and an additional piece of 
territory was acquired by lease in 1898, the v.'hole territory 
now amxounting to 400 square miles. ^'> 

The Colony is administered by a Governor, who is aided 
by an Executive Council of seven members, two of whom 
are unofficial. The Legislative Council is composed of the 
Colonial Secretary, the Commander of the Troops, the 
Treasurer, the Attorney-General, Director of Public Works, 
Captain Superintendent of Police, Secretary for Chinese 
Affairs, four British and two Chinese unof^cial members. 
The port remained free until 1909, except for opium, but 
since that time duties on spirits and wines have been added. 
Travelers' personal baggage is rarely examined. 

The winter months of November to February offer the 
best season in which to visit Hongkong, whrn the climate 
will be found very pleasant and cool. March, April and May 
are usually very damp and rainy and during the summer 
tropical weather prevails, v. ith practically no cool days to 
relieve the monotonous heat. 



HONGKONG 28 J 

Outside of official documents one rarely hears the name 
Victoria, the city being commonly given the name of the 
island. The city is in a graceful curve five miles long 
around the shores of the bay on the north of the island. The 
business houses of the foreground and the residences in the 
rear stretch back in a succession of tiers w^hich reach several 
hundred feet up the side of the peak. The background of 
this impressive picture, as viewed from the harbor, is the 
Peak, 1823 feet high. In the effort to escape the enervating 
damp heat of the summer, many houses have been built on 
the Peak, most of them being perched on narrow ledges quar- 
ried out of the side of the hill and reached by a precipitous 
flight of steps. The city has a population of over 450,000. 
Exclusive of the army and navy, the foreign white population 
numbers a litte more than 6,000. The general landing stage 
for passengers is at Blake Pier, which is only a few minutes' 
walk from the center of the city. Part of the water-front 
street is known officially as Connaught Road, but the name 
Praya is usually given to the entire stretch of street. Parallel 
with this road runs Pes Voeux Road and above that Queen's 
Road. The latter was formerly just above high-water mark 
and the ground now between it and the shore has been re- 
claimed. The principal business houses are found on these 
three streets. Close to the business streets are located the 
Chinese residences. They are not packed together on narrow 
streets as in the cities of China proper, for the streets of 
Hongkong are fairly v/ide. Instead, the residences are high 
tenement-like structures, containing many small rooms and a 
population almost as dense as in the crowded cities of the 
mainland. These rather squalid buildings afford an interest- 
ing contrast to the fine residences of the foreigners, on the 
Peak. f 

''There are grander sights to be seen in the world, but 
few more picturesque and graceful than that of Hongkong, 
the entrance to the harbor and the panoramic view from the 
mountain. Coming from east or west, you pass by islands. 
or rather rocks, which are grey and naked, and glitter in the 
sunshine. It is a desolate region ; not a vestige of vegetation^ 



288 HANDBOOK FOR CHINA 

not a trace of human life. The Portuguese have named this 
group of islands the Ladrones — a name which they well merit ; 
for they have been for centuries, and still are, the resort of 
pirates and robbers. Gliding between them, the vessel 
approaches to a point from which Hongkong is seen, at no 
great distance; a greyish mass standing out in relief, though 
the neighboring land can yet scarcely be distinguished. 
Little by little objects can be discerned; masses of verdure 
here and there on the peaks ; a pane of glass glittering on the 
summit of a pavilion amongst the trees. Suddenly the vessel 
makes a curve, and the narrow channel discloses* a fleet of 
ships, junks and sampans ; the extended curve of quays ; the 
regular line of buildings, and above them, rising on a succes- 
sion of hill slopes, the villas in tiers along the zigzigs of the 
mountain roads.''* 

As the principal tourist point on the China coast, Hong- 
kong abounds in curio shops stocked with Chinese, Indian 
and Japanese goods. Most of the Chinese articles come 
from Canton and Swatow, the distinctive local products 
being Canton furniture and Swatow lace. The large porce- 
lain shops, while offering nothing extraordinar}^ are well 
stocked. Several of them have their goods marked in plain 
prices, with labels giving descriptions of the pieces, s practice 
which does not prevail in any other part of China. 

Every visitor to Hongkong takes a trip to the Flagstaff, 
to see the fine panorama which stretches out on all sides. At 
©ne's feet lies the city outlined against the busy harbor, where 
large steamers look like sampans. Eighty miles to the north, 
if the day is clear, may be seen a grey speck, which is Canton, 
the largest city in China. Nearer at hand on the island are 
Pokfolum reservoir, the village of Aberdeen to the south, and 
Mountain Lodge, the summer residence of the governor of 
the colony. ^^. 

The interesting Botanical Gardens occupy a tract of eight 
acres and are worth a visit. They can be reached by chair 
in ten minutes from the principal hotels. Some of the finest 



• ''The Colonization of Indo-China," by J. Chailley-Bert. 



HONGKONG 289 

scenery on the island can be seen on a chair ride to the 
Tytam reservoir, about five miles distant from the cit}^ The 
route should lead by v^ay of Bowen Road and over the Wong 
Nei Cheong Gap. An interesting ricsha ride may be taken 
over Jubilee Road to the fishing village of Aberdeen. It is 
at this point that the Dragon boat races of Hongkong are 
held annually. At Pokfolum is the important publishing 
plant of the French mission. It comprises a complete type- 
casting plant, where types of all the Oriental languages are 
cast, said to be the most complete collection of types of this 
kind in existence. The first dictionary of the Tibetan 
language was published here. This is also the location of the 
mission's sanatorium, which stands on a large well-wooded 
tract. In the vicinity are a number of pretentious Chinese 
graves belonging to w-ealthy native families. 

The principal educational institution of the colony is 
Hongkong University, established largely through the liber- 
ality of British, Chinese and Parsee gentlemen living in 
Hongkong. The foundation stone was laid March 16, 1910. 
The handsome building, occupying a site about halfway 
up the side of the Peak, is a prominent landmark from the 
harbor. k 

Mission work began in Hongkong practically from the date 
of the establishment of the colony, for mission institutions 
which had previously found in Macao refuge from Chinese 
opposition moved over to Hongkong with the British occupa- 
tion. St. John's Cathedral (Anglican) was erected in 1842. 
Its architectural pretensions are not great but the interior 
woodwork shows fine Chinese carving. Other local religious 
' buildings are St. Peter's (for sailors); St. Stephen's (for 
Chinese), Union Church, Wesleyan Chapel, Roman Catholic 
Cathedral, St. Joseph's Church, St. Francis' Church and 
Church of the Sacred Heart. There are a Jewish synagogue^ 
two Mohamm.edan mosques and one Sikh temple. A number 
of Protestant mission chapels are maintained in various parts 
of the city. St. Joseph's College is a school for boys managed 
by the Christian Brothers (Roman Catholic). The Italian 
Convent ed^icates girls and brings up orphans. The Asile ds 



290 HANDBOOK r^OR CHINA 

la Sainte Enfance, conducted by French sisters^ takes care 
of many Chinese foundlings. Prominent among the many 
other missionary institutions are: the Diocesan Home and 
Orphanage, the Berlin Foundling Hospital, the Baxtor 
Vernacular School, the Victoria Female Home and Orphanage 
and St. Paul's College. Roman Catholic, Protestant, Jewish, 
Parsee and Mohammedan Cemeteries occupy sites in Wong- 
nai Chung Valley. 

Ferries which leave every ten and fifteen minutes convey 
passengers from Hongkong across the harbor to Kowloon. 
Tbe city of Kowloon is on the east of the peninsula, a half 
hour's ricsha ride from the ferry landing. It is a walled city 
of small importance, but will give the hurried visitor a good 
idea of the character of purely Chinese cities, if he has not 
time to visit Canton or other larger and more interesting 
places. 

The Canton-Kowloon Railway affords the quickest route 
between Hongkong and Canton, though travelers usually 
arrange to travel one way by steamer and the other by rail, 
as both routes are beautiful and interesting. The Kowloon 
terminus of the road is close to the ferry landing, but the 
Canton station is 2J/2 miles from the foreign settlement of 
Shameen. However, it is connected by a good macadam 
road, with ricshas always available. The British section of 
this road, 22 miles, extending from Kowloon to Lowu, on 
the Chinese frontier, is one of the most expensive pieces of 
road in the world, costing about £50,000 per mile. The most 
difficult engineering feat w^as the tunneling of Beacon Hill 
for a distance of 7200 feet. The Chinese section, which 
connects with the British, is 89 miles long, giving the whole 
road a length of 111 miles. The road will ultimately be the 
southern terminus of the Canton-Hankow Railway, which 
will place Canton and Hongkong in almost direct rail com- 
munication with Paris. 

Canton. — Eighty miles from Hongkong, at the apex of the 
delta of the Pearl river, is Canton, the commercial metropolis 
of South China, the most advanced, the largest, and the most 
turbulent city in the country. Steamer fare from Hongkong, 



CANTON 291 

$3.50 to $5. Post offices : British, French, and Japanese. 
Population, 2,000,000. There are several foreign style hotels. 

Old as Canton is in comparison with the most ancient 
cities of Europe, it belongs to a much later date in Chinese 
history than that of the old^r cities of the norlh. It was a few 
centuries before the Christian Era when the immigrants 
from the basin of the Yellow River in the north reached 
Canton as the most southern representatives of the rapidly 
expanding Chinese people. According to local tradition, at 
about the same time iive fairy men arrived from the north on 
the backs of goats, each bearing a stalk of grain and a mess- 
age bidding the people in Canton to live in peace and pros- 
perity — advice which they have only half followed, for while 
the city has usually been prosperous it has seldom been peace- 
ful. The fairies disappeared. The goats turned to stone and 
can still be seen by the skeptical. From this circumstance Can- 
ton is known as "The City of Rams." 

It is from Canton that practically all the Chinese in 
America come, and they with their neighbors of Fukien settl- 
ed in Hawaii, Philippines, and overran Java, Siam and the 
other places of the Far East. Many of these emigrants 
returned to their loved birthplace after amassing fortunes 
abroad, bringing with them advanced ideas of government. 
Those who did not return kept in touch with relatives at home 
through letters and remittances, giving all Cantonese a 
broader view of the world than that possessed by their more 
secluded countrymen. Far removed from the power of Peking 
the Cantonese never held the authority of the Imperial govern- 
ment in very high regard. Songs reviling the AI"anchu govern- 
ment were sold or sung openly on the streets of Canton when 
similar action was met with dire punishment in other Chinese 
cities. 

The Chinese have a saying, "Everything new originates 
in Canton," and this is especially' true of things political. 
It was in this southern city that the plots which 
resulted in the Republican revolution were hatched, and 
during that brief but dramatic struggle the principal parts 
were played by Cantonese. For many years before this, the 



^92 HANDBOOK rOR CHINA 

quick-witted Cantonese had taken high honors at the official 
examinations, much to the displeasure of the ruling Manchus, 
who saw in every one of them a potential enemy to the 
monarchy. Many of the best known men in China are 
Cantonese. 

Halfway from Hongkong to Canton, the comfortable 
passenger steamers which make the trip daily pass through 
Bocca Tigris (Tiger's Mouth), the name given by early 
Portuguese traders to the narrow point in the estuary. A 
little farther on is Whampoa, where the famous clipper tea 
ships of half a century ago dropped anchor while loading to 
start on their race with the first tea of the season to the 
Boston, Salem and Liverpool markets. 

For many centuries Canton was surrounded by a w^all 
almost six miles in circumference and the streets were 
world-famous for their narrowness. Now, however, the 
wall has been torn down, the moat filled up and the city pos- 
sesses many miles of well paved streets 80 to 150 feet wide 
and the motor car long since ceased to be a novelty. An 
electric tramway which will connect the principal parts of 
the city is under way. Banked for miles along the river are 
thousands of Chinese water craft on which live a population 
of several hundred thousands. Tens of thousands are born 
live and die on these boats, forming a community complete 
in itself, containing beggars, priests, workmen and 
thousands of families whose ancestors were als-o members 
of the boating population of Canton in form.er days. The 
occasional typhoons create havoc on the river and cause 
great loss of life among this population. House boats, 
furnished with modern furniture, lighted with electricity 
and run by steam, are among the modern facilities for 
traveling on the river. 

The Portuguese first came to Canton in 1511, but the 
foreign trade of the city far antedates their visit. The tall 
minaret known as the Plain Pagoda, is a Moslem mosque 
built by Arabian voyagers and traders more than a thousand 
years ago that they might have a place of worship on their 
occasional visits to Canton. The Arabian trade with China 



CANTON 293 

«nded many centuries ago, but the Moslem religion remains. 

Early British traders cam.e to Canton about 100 years 
after the Portuguese and for many years carried on trade 
with the natives, all of the dealings being through the 
famous Chinese merchant's guild known as the Co-hong of 
Canton. Sailing vessels came from Liverpool, Salem, 
Boston and New York and returned laden with silks and 
tea. The American vessels left the Atlantic coast laden with 
cotton prints and other cheap goods. They sailed through 
the Straits of Magellan and on the west coast of Canada 
traded their cargo to Indians for furs or in Hawaii bartered 
with the natives for sandalwood. These articles, highly 
prized by the Chinese, were exchanged at Canton for tea 
and silk. The sailing vessel might return home in two years 
and if the voyage was fortunate, the owner would make 
a fortune from one trip. 

Until the Treaty of Nanking was signed (1841) all foreign 
trade was confined to Canton and both the Chinese and the 
foreign merchants who engaged in it made enormous profits. 
With the opening of other ports, and especially with the 
development of Hongkong as a British colony, Canton has 
lest its old dominant position, but still remains a very im- 
portant center of Chinese trade. A railway has been com- 
pleted from Canton to Kowloon, and one of the next links to 
be added to the raihvay system of China v/ill be the line 
between Canton and Hankow. When it is completed Canton 
will secure a great part of the traffic which nov/ goes north 
from Hongkong by way of the coast steamers. 

When the foreign residents of Canton returned after the 
war with Great Britain, in 1841, they found their residences and 
factories in ruins and Shameen was granted to them as a place 
of residence. It was then only a sandy mud flat, but has 
since been converted into a handsome foreign-residence 
section, separated from the western suburb of Canton by a 
canal. It is here that the foreigners live and the traveler will 
find accommodations at the Victoria Hotel. One-third of the 
island is French and two-thirds British. It has been planted 
with trees and is one of the pleasantest places of residence 



294 HANDBOOK FOR CHINA 

in tropical China. Zest rather than danger is added to 
residence there by reason of the occasional disturbances ia 
Canton, and the presence of pirates in the canals of the delta. 

Several hundred temples in addition to pavilions, an- 
cestral halls and other show places are located in Canton^ 
The most famous of Canton temples no longer exists for its 
hundreds of priests have been driven out and it is now the 
home of the Non Wo Middle School, whose students have 
distinguished themselves in athletics. Among the places 
well worth visiting are : The Flov/ery Pagoda, Five Storey 
Pagoda, Temple of Five Genii and the Calamity Bell which 
never sounds except to herald calamity to the city, Smooth 
Pagoda, Mohammedan Mosque, Temple of the Three Great 
Buddhas, Temple of Horrors, Temple of Honan, Chan's 
Temple, Provincial Mint, Kwangtung Arsenal at Shektseng, 
the Provincial Assembly Building, Christian College, the 
Flower Gardens in Fati, the Old Viceroys Yamen, and First 
Middle School Grounds. 

Canton is the home of many Chinese industries, and the 
Cantonese v/orkmen are as famous for their skill as are the 
Cantonese literati for their learning. The finest blackwood 
furniture in China is made in Canton, while their tortoise 
shell, lacquer, stoneware, fans and pottery enjoy a world-wide 
reputation. No trip to Canton is complete v/ithout a visit to 
the street where the workmen inlay kingfishers' feathers and 
silver, and to the Chy Loong ginger works, where candied 
ginger was put up for our grandfathers. 

Among the unique industries of Canton are silk weaving 
in its most intricate forms, crystal eye-glass making, glazing 
cloth with half ton stone without heat, tobacco pressing and 
cutting, ivory carving, bone cutting and carving, blackwood 
or ebony work, grass matting weaving, lacquer v/ork, mother- 
of-pearl work, inlaid ware, groundnut oil presses, primitive 
dye works, manufacture of pewter v/are, incense sticks, and 
glass blowing. Some of the streets of Canton are too narrow 
for ricshas, and guides with sedan chairs await visitors in the 
shady streets of Shameen. The guide's wage is a dollar a 
day; the chairs, with iour bap^-ers, cost $3.00 to $4.00 a day 



KV/ANGTUNG PROVINCE 295 

or $1.50 t© $2.00 for half da3\ Another dollar will usually be 
expended in tips. 

There are several interesting places near Canton, which 
can be .reached from Shameen. Fati, opposite Canton, is 
famous for its gardens, while a trip to White Cloud Mountain 
will be found very enjoyable. 

Among the most important missionary enterprises in the 
city is Canton Christian College, supported by the American ^ 
Union ]\Iissions. Religious services in English are held at 
the Chapel (Anglican) in Shameen and at Canton Hospital. 
The Roman Catholic Cathedral is located in the Chinese City 
and the Chapel in Shameen. The American Presbyterian 
and -Baptist Churches maintain many missionary enterprises 
in Canton, including theological seminaries, girls' and boysV 
schools, etc. The Baptist Publication Society's printing 
ofince is located in Tungshan, east of the city. 

Kwangtung Province. — The area of Kwangtung Province 
is 100,000 square miles and its population is 31 millions. 
It lies almost wholly in the tropics and the area, well divided 
between mountain and plain, is watered by four large rivers. 
The principal products are silk, sugar, indigo, rice, tea, 
tobacco, salt, oil, fish and live stock. The graceful banyan 
tree is found in all parts of the province except the coast. 
There are banana plantations along the East River, while 
olives, lichees, pumeloes, oranges and other fruits are also 
grown and find their way to the Yangtsze Valley markets. 
Camphor trees are abundant at Sunning and there are dense 
palm groves in the Sunwi district. The palms are cultivated 
for fans, of which millions are exported annually. Though 
the province is densely populated, tigers and leopards are 
still numerous and have been seen within twenty miles of 
Canton. The coast line of the province is nearly 800 miles 
long, and the deforested hills which mark a great part of it 
are barren and desolate. The view from the sea gives no_ 
hint of the existence of the rich agricultural districts of the 
interior. 

Because of its excellent harbors and its nearness to old 
trade routes, it became the center for an extensive foreign 



296 HANDBOOK FOR CHINA 

trade in ancient times, being in teuch with the Arabs and the 
Roman Empire for many centuries before the development of 
modern foreign trade began. More recently it was the scene 
of the pioneer work of foreign merchants and missionaries, 
holding first place as a mercantile and missionary center until 
superseded by the development of the Yantsze Valley. From 
this province come the ablest and most enterprising of mer- 
chants to be found in all the ports of China. The " Canton 
Guilds" and the ''Swatow Guilds" are powerful in the trading 
communities of the country, being found in force in Shang- 
hai, Tientsin, Hankow and other large commercial centers. 
The province contains a large population of Hakkas, whom 
the Cantonese insist on regarding as aliens. For the most part 
the Hakkas occupy scattered villages and hamlets in the 
mountains. They are a vigorous people, mainly agricultural, 
and are probably better educated than those who live in the 
crowded plains. Kwangtung province has furnished most of 
the emigrants to Singapore and other parts of the Straits 
Settlements, America, Australia and South Africa. Remit- 
tances of millions of dollars annually from these emigrants 
help to relieve the poverty of this overcrowded province. 
Some ©f the wealthiest men in the province are returned 
emigrants who amassed fortunes abroad. Piracy has always 
prevailed near Canton, where the delta of the West river with 
its numerous estuaries and coves affords ideal hiding places 
for the pirates. 

One little known part of the province is the island of 
Hainan. The central and southern portions of this island are 
covered with densely wooded hills inhabited by aborigines. 
There are many valuable and undeveloped forests of hard- 
wood including rosewood and mahogany. The natives cut 
nothing but aromatic woods which are sold in all parts of 
China for use as beads, etc. There are great opportunities 
for development here, but efforts in that direction have been 
retarded by the climate of the place, its lack of communi- 
cations, etc. Tropical plants from Singapore have been grown 
there with success and it is believed that rubber and camphor 
vvould thrive. 



MACAO 297 

Macao. — Distant 35 miles from Hongkong is Macao, 
equally interesting for its history, for the natural beauty of its 
location and for the quaint mixture of the Orient with 
mediaeval Europe, as seen in its buildings. The steamer trip 
is made in three hours from Hongkong and shonld not be 
omitted from any tour to southern China. 

Macao is the oldest outpost of Europe in its intercourse 
with China. The Portuguese established themselves here in 
1557, and by a fortunate circumstance gained the good will 
of the Chinese authorities. The coast was menaced by a 
strong band of pirates, with whom the Chinese officials were 
unable to deal, and the Portuguese colonists were asked to 
help. They helped with such success that the pirates were 
driven away, and out of gratitude the Chinese asked the 
colonists to settle on the narrow end of the peninsula, which 
has since been their home. The land was held at a nominal 
rental from the Emperor of China of 500 taels a year, but in 
1848 Governor Ferreira do Amaral took advantage of other 
difficulties which engaged the attention of China to refuse 
further payments and drove out tlie Chinese customs house, 
together with every vestige of Chinese authority. It was 
probably because of this that he was treacherously murder- 
ed in August, 1849, and his head taken to Canton. The 
complete sovereignty of Portugal over the place was not 
fully recognized by China until 1887, when a new treaty was 
signed. 

For several centuries Macao was the principal trading 
point between China and the west, especially in the eighteenth 
century. The cession of Hongkong to Great Britain created 
a dangerous competitor and since then Macao has steadily 
declined as a commercial center. Hongkong w.^s made a free 
port and when the authorities of Macao attempted by reduc- 
ing the customs dues, to regain the trade they had lost it was 
found the change had come too late. Its harbor has silted up 
and it has no important trade at present. Many of the 
Macanese have removed to Hongkong, and Macao is now 
chiefly a pleasure resort for South Chma. Some fine old 
European furniture remains in many of the older houses of 



298 \ HANDBOOK ]?0R CHINA 

Macao and one is occasionally able to pick up a good piece 
in the second-hand shops. It is known as ''the Monte Carlo 
of the Far East" and the whole purpose of the government 
of the place seems to be to derive revenue from gambling, 
opium and lotteries, which have been driven out of Chinese 
cities. The Fan Tan houses of Macao are famous along the 
whole China coast and one of the principal industries of the 
place is derived from the sale of lottery tickets. But despite 
its vice, Macao is as quiet and has an appearance as purit- 
anical as that of a New England village. 

The area of Macao is eleven square miles, and with its 
dependencies it has a population of 78,000. Of the original 
1000 Portuguese families which settled in the place, little 
remains but the Portuguese names, for long intermarriage with 
the Chinese has resulted in the domination of Chinese blood. 
Of the present population, the Portuguese of pure blood are 
confined almost exclusively to the government officials, police 
and soldiers, a total of probably less than 100. The troopers 
from Goa, in their Indian costume, add color to the street 
scenes of the place. 

The blue, pink, yellow and brown buildings of Macao 
rise on a hillside overlooking a beautiful crescent-shaped bay, 
the appearance of the city being quite unlike that of any other 
city in the Orient The buildings are neither Chinese nor 
foreign, but a strange combination of the two, clearly show- 
ing the survival of mediaeval Portuguese influence. Standing 
out high against the sky line is the fine facade of the San 
Paulo cathedral, built in 1594 by the Jesuits, and destroyed by 
fire in 1835. The Praia Grande, one of the famous streets of 
the Orient, fronts the sea for a mile and a half, the entire 
length being faced by an embankment of stone. The harbor 
is picturesque but useless, for it is so shallow that only 
small Chinese junks can anchor there. The small flat-bot- 
tomed steamers from Hongkong and Canton use the inner 
harbor, lying between the peninsula and the island of Lappa. 
An excellent view of the entire city and the surrounding 
territory can be had from the residence of the bishop, the blue 
building at the top of the hill, near the Boa Vista j4otel. The 



The west river 299 

parapets around the residence and the little chapel are alwa3^s 
open to visitors. 

The incorporated name of the city is " City of the Name 
of God, Afoat Loyal of the Colonies/' a name accorded it in 
1642. It has always lived up to the latter part of its name, 
and its history contains many passages telling how the 
brave Macanese held the place against attacks of Dutch and 
Chinese. 

Camoens, the great Portuguese poet, lived in iMacao as a 
political exile and wrote some of his greatest poems here. 
The grotto in which he worked is always open to visitors. It 
is situated in the Casa garden, recently purchased by the 
Portuguese government and improved by ornamental v/alks 
and the planting of trees until it is one of the prettiest spots 
in the Orient. The grotto, near the center of the garden, is 
formed by several huge boulders, and the bust of the poet now 
stands on the spot where he sat when writing the latter part 
of liis epic poem *'The L,usiad." 

Near the entrance to the garden is the English church 
and in the old Protestant cemetery at the back lie buried 
many who were prominent in the early history of foreign 
intercourse with China. Am.ong the graves are those of Rev, 
Robert Morrison, the pioneer missionary who made the first 
translation of the Bible into Chinese; George Chinnery, the 
painter ; Sir Philip le Fleming Senhouse, the British Admiral ; 
and Lord Henry Churchill, captain of "The Druid." Many 
of the gravestones bear the names of American seamen from 
Salem and Boston, mementos of the time when Massachusetts 
skippers and representatives of the East India Company were 
keen rivals for the tea trade of South China. 

In spite of the fact that it is no longer a city of any 
commercial importance, Macao retains a few factories and 
carries on a small trade in tea, silk, tobacco, and firecrackers. 
A small village near the city is devoted to the making of fire- 
crackers for sale in the United Statej. 

The West River.— Until so recent a date as 1897, West 
River, the principal waterway of South China, was closed to 
all navigation by foreigners, and the rich territory through 



300 HANDBOOK FOR CHINA 

which it flows was sealed to the outside world. But in that 
year the river was opened to foreign trade and since then it 
has formed one of the most interesting parts of the itineraries 
of many travelers. 

The river rises in the hills of Yunnan and flows into the 
sea a short distance from Macao, the length of the stream 
being about 1000 miles. A trip on one of the stern-wheel 
steamers which ply from Hongkong will take the traveler into 
the heart of China, where he will have an opportunity to see 
Chinese life as it exists where the natives have not been 
brought into contact with foreigners. 

The river at the point where it flows into the sea is 
divided into a delta of countless streams and a trip of sixty 
miles or more through narrow creeks surrounded on all sides 
by cultivated rice fields is necessary before the West River 
proper is reached. The principal towns passed on the trip ta 
Wuchow-fu are Kum-chuck, Tak-hing and Samshui. The 
following outline of a West River trip is suggested by the 
Hongkong office of Messrs. Thos. Cook & Son : 

The steamer leaves Hongkong on the evening of the 
first day. On the second day, in the morning, it arrives at 
Samshui and ren:ains there until 4:30 p.m., giving pas- 
sengers time to see Qe ancient walled city of Samshui, etc. 
On the third day it arrives at Wuchow-fu between noon and 
4 p.m. The boat remains at Wuchow-fu the fourth day, 
giving plenty of time to see the temples and the very interest- 
ing town. Sailing at 4 p.m. the boat arrives at Samshui 
early on the fifth day, and here passengers who are in a hurry 
can catch a train reaching Canton by noon, spending the 
afternoon in Canton and reaching Hongkong by midnight of 
the fifth day. 

Amoy. — Three hundred miles north of Hongkong at the 
mouth of the Pei Chi, or Dragon river, is the island of Hai- 
mon, on which the city of Amoy is located. The city was 
opened to foreign trade in 1842. Hotels : Sea View, New 
Amoy Hotel. British, French, and Japanese post offices. 

"Perhaps no place along this entire coast has had a more 
interesting and exciting story to tell than this same small 



AMOY 301 

island, scarcely eight miks across. Many are the stirring 
events which have taken place here and in the neighborhood. 
For hundreds of years it was the rendezvous of bold buc- 
caneers and unscrupulous adventurers, who, ravishing and 
plundering its inhabitants without mercy, made off with the 
spoils only to return another day to renew their wild depre- 
dations more violently than before. It has been the theater 
of many a fierce struggle, and the strong strategical position, 
or gateway to all the vast territory beyond (even Formosa 
itself,) coveted alike by the Manchus, the Long-haired Rebels, 
the Dutch and the Japanese." '^ 

The Portuguese settled here in 1544, about the time they 
were driven from Ningpo by the Chinese government, but as 
in Ningpo, trouble arose between the foreigners aud the 
Chinese government and the foreigners were expelled and 
their vessels burned. A hundred years later the famous 
Koxinga held the place against the Manchus and even chang- 
ed its name to Subengsu, which means **the island that 
remembers the Mings." *'He collected a band of followers 
several thousand strong, and set up his standards (1647) on 
the island of Kolongsu,.an island just opposite Amoy. He 
had, it is said, a. fleet of 8000 war junks, 240,000 fighting 
men, 8000 ironsides; and with all the pirates that infested the 
coast of southern China under his command he claimed ta 
have a combined force of 800,000 men. In training his 
men, we are told, he used a stone lion weighing over 600 
pounds to test the strength of his soldiers. Those who were 
strong enough to lift this stone and walk off with it were 
selected for his own body-guard named the 'Tip:er Guards/ 
They wore iron masks and iron aprons ; they carried bows 
and arrows painted in red and green stripes, matching with 
long-handled swords used for killing horses; and they were 
stationed in the van that they might maim the horses' legs. 
They were his most reliable troops and were called 'Iron- 
sides.'"* 

At length, in 1680, after the death of Koxinga, the 



• "In and About Amoy," by Rev. Philip Wilson Pitcher. 



-302 HANDBOOK FOR CHINA 

Manchns succeeded in establishing their authority in Amoy, 
long after they had subdued the remainder of the countr3^ 

The city was built probably during the Ming dynasty 
^nd now has a population of about 400,000, with 100,000 
additional living in the other villages of the island. The 
city, surrounded by a wall, is divided by a high rocky ridge, 
surmounted by fortified walls. The bay with its numerous 
islands crowned by pngodas and temples presents a beautiful 
scene. The foreign settlement is on Kolongsu, opposite the 
city, and is one of the prettiest in all China. During the 
autumn and winter (October to February) the climate here 
is delightful. It lies in the typhoon area, but Formosa 
acts as a protecting barrier against the worst fury of the 
typhoons. 

One of th* famous sights of China is a stone bridge 20 
miles up the river from Amoy. The bridge, 1100 feet long, 
is constructed of giant spans of granite, some of them being 
113 feet long, 6 feet wide and 5 feet thick, weighing 200 tons. 
Local history affords no clue as to how these giant slabs were 
put into p^ace, nor does any one know where they were 
iDrought from. A huge rocking stone back of the Chinese 
■city has been locally famous for centuries. 

In addition to the Roman Catholics, three protestant 
organizations, the Presbyterian ^hurch ef England, the 
London Missionary Society and Reformed church in 
America, maintain chapels, hospitals and schools in Amoy. 

Long before Amoy attained any importance, another 
•city called Zayton flourished in this neighborhood. Opinion 
differs as to whether it was Chuan-Chow-fu, or Haiting of 
the present day, but there is no doubt about its being one of 
the greatest commercial centers of the world, carrying on a 
huge trade with India. It was from this ancient city that the 
word satin originated. 

Foochow. — Foochow, the capital of Fukien province, is 
located on the north side of the Min river, 34 miles from the 
sea and 455 miles from Hongkong, or halfway between 
Shanghai and Hongkong. Population 650 000. Chinese, 
British and Japanese post offices. 



FOOCHOW 303- 

The walled city is about two miles from trie river bank 
but a crowded suburb fills up the space between with a nu' 
merous population. The walls, with a circuit of seven miles, 
are built around three tree-covered hills ( VVushihshan, Yushan 
and Tingshan) which give the city a picturesque appearance. 
Foochow is known as ''The Banyan City" and this magnificent 
shade tree is found at its best in Fukien Province. 

The scenery approaching Foochow from the sea and 
about the city is magnificent. Vessels from the sea leave the 
wide shallow stream for the narrower Kimpai Pass, 1/2 mile 
across and enclosed in bold rock walls. The pass of Mirgan 
is even narrower, enclosed by towering terraced cliffs which 
have been compared to those of the Rhine. ''All around v/ere 
monuments of the past. At the entrance stood a tower on 
the crest behind Sharp Peak; it was erected by a wife to 
welcome back her husband from a voyage, but when he saw 
the strange mark he concluded he had mistaken the estuary, 
and sailed away never to return. Here was a post to com- 
memorate a wreck, here an old beacon superseded by electric 
telegraphy; yonder were forts to guard the passes. Here 
was one of a pair of mandarin's feet in the live rock. Sacri- 
legious quarrymen were not debarred from carving av/ay its 
fellow by the blood which followed the strokes of the chisel, 
but detached it and took it up to build a bridge, where it 
assumed the offensive and kicked the masons into the river; 
so the hint was taken and the foot was allowed to follow 
them; this one remains here to prove the story." Foreign 
vessels, owing to the shallow draught of the river, anchor 
at Pagoda Island fifteen miles away. In the war with 
France, the PVench fleet steamed into the gulf and destroyed 
the arsenal. As a means of preventing another attack of that 
kind, barges loaded with stone w^ere sunk in the channel, 
adding more difficulties to the navigation of the stream. 

Opposite the town, on Nantai island is a stone bridge, 
435 yards in length. It was built in 1324 under authority of 
the Emperor, by a monk much more enterprising than any 
of those of the present day. 

Foreign attention was first attracted to Foochov/ by the 



304 HANDBOOK FOR CHINA 

famous Bohea tea grown in the Bohea hills in the extreme 
north of the province. There was formerly a large trade in 
this tea, but there is no longer much demand for it, the trade 
with England having been supplanted by Ceylon teas. Foo- 
chow people excel in lacquer work, the finest being made by 
the She Shao-an family which has followed the trade for 
many generations. In the exhibits of lacquerware at the St. 
Louis Exposition, the first prize went to Foochow. The 
manufacture of silver jewelry in which kingfishers' feathers 
are inlaid is one of the most interesting to visitors. Silk and 
woolen stuffs and household furniture are also manufactured 
and camphor and oranges exported. 

Two well-preserved pagodas are among the interesting 
local sights. The Black Pagoda was built m 780 to com- 
memorate the birthday of an Emperor and 100 years later the 
White Pagoda was built as an act of filial piety. It is of seven 
stories and 261 feet high. The Foochow hot springs in the 
eastern part of the city are quite famous among the Chinese 
and are credited with great curative powers. 

The name Foochow first appears in Chinese history 
during the Tang dynasty. When that dynasty fell it became 
an independent state under the rule of the King of Min, but 
a century later was reunited under the Sung dynasty. If the 
visitor is fortunate he may able to see some of the dog- 
worshiping aborigines who live in the hills near by. Their 
race is unmixed with Chinese and they worship a dog as their 
great ancestor. 

The Min river is navigable for almost 300 miles from 
Foochow and the scenery along Its course is splendid, prob- 
ably the finest in all of China. (, 

The Min Monastery, Moon Temple and Kushan Mon- 
astery, on hills near Foochow, all have beautiful sites and are 
fine specimens of Chinese architecture. Kuliang, a mountain 
resort 2900 feet high, nine miles to the east of Foochow, is 
popular with local foreign residents in the summer months. It 
is also frequented by foreigners from Amoy, making a total 
summer population of more than 300. It can be reached by 
a four-hours' chair trip. 



FUKIEN PROVINCE 305 



American missionary work is important at Foochow, 
among the prominent enterprises being a Union Medical 
School for men, supported by three missions. The American 
Board and the American Methodist Episcopal board maintain 
colleges, hospitals, orphanages, etc. A Roman Catholic 
foundling asylum is under the direction of the Spanish 
Dominican vSisters. 

Fukien Province. — The province of Fukien is one of 
the smallest and most densely populated, containing an area 
of 46,320 square miles and a population of 22 millions. The 
province is an almost unbroken stretch of hills and forests, 
the only plains being small and near the coast. '*It is on the 
higher slopes of these mountains that most of the tea which 
finds its way to the marts of England and America is grown. 
The famous Bohea hills are at the extreme north of Fukien.' 
In addition to tea growing the chief industries are paper 
making and cloth weaving. The timber supply of the province 
has been greatly diminished.^The export of timber in 1846 
was estimated at £2,000,000 but in recent years the entire 
trade was but little more than one tenth of that amount. 
The chief timber supplies at present come from the head- 
waters of the Min. The mountainous character of the 
country makes transportation d'fiicult and the roads consist 
chiefly of rough blocks of granite which follow the easiest 
routes through a country where a dead level is unknown. 
The need for transportation is inadequately supplied by the 
streams, all crowded with boats. The southern halt of Fukien 
is undeveloped and is little known to foreigners. It is broken 
and mountainous, sparsely populated and densely wooded. 
The province was one of the first to gain by the development 
of foreign trade owing to the large demand for Fukien tea, 
but with the development of Ceylon and India teas, this trade 
has fallen off. The partial failure of this industry and the 
natural difficulties encountered in gaining a livelihood in such 
a picturesque and mountainous country has caused a large 
immigration from the province, second only to that of 
Kwangtung. All of the Chinese in the Philippine Islands 
come from Amoy, and are known by the Filipinos as "Amoy- 



306 HANDBOOK ^OR CHINA 

istas." In ancient times Fukien, like other parts of South 
China, was inhabited by a number of semi-barbarous tribes, 
each under a separate ruler. As a result the province exhibits 
great linguistic difficulties, almost every community having 
its separate dialect, often unknown thirty miles away. 

Swatow« — Swatow is a fine harbor 180 miles from 
Hongkong. British and Japanese post offices. As the seaport 
of the important towns of Chao-Chow-fu and San-ha-up, 40 
miles up the river, Swatow was opened to foreign trade by 
the treaty of 1858. But the early traders, who began 
carrying emigrant coolies from the place soon turned their 
attention to kidnapping ; and so many Chinese were carried 
away to be sold into what was practically slavery, that there 
was intense hatred of the foreigners. No foreigner entered 
the city gates for several years after the promulgation of the 
treaty, and it was not until a few years ago that they were 
able to travel in the vicinity without annoyance and insult. 
Hovv^ever, all that is changed now and Swatow has a number 
of foreign residences and a foreign hotel, the Astor House. 
Emigration from Swatow has been revived along legitimate 
lines and now amounts to about 100,000 yearly, the returning 
emigrants numbering about 80,000. A railroad, water works 
and an electric light plant are among the modern improve- 
ments boasted by the city. Swatow and surrounding country 
are not especially interesting except for the local manu- 
factures and curios. The city is famous for grass cloth, 
pewter ware, drawn work and fans. Although these articles 
are all on sale in Hongkong, they can be secured at cheaper 
prices in Swatow. Population 60,000. ^ 

Chao Chow-fu. — A short line of railway connects Swa- 
tow with Chao Chow-fu, the scene of the exploits of Han Yu, 
or Han Weu-kung, China's prototype of St. Patrick, who is 
patron saint of the Chao Chow plain and a national hero 
honored in all parts of China. In 814 A. D. the Emperor 
made elaborate arrangements to receive a bone of Buddha at 
the court and Confucianists of the day saw in this a great 
danger to Chinese civilization. The statesman Han Yu, who 
-was noted for his outspokenness, wrote a memorial against 



YUNNAN 307 

the proposed action, its effect being later decribed as follows: 
"Truth began to be obscured and literature to fade; super- 
natival religions sprang up on all sides, and many eminent 
scholars failed to oppose their advance until Han Yu, the 
cotton clothed, arose and blasted them with his derisive 
sneer." For this rash action Han Yu was banished to Chao 
Chow, then peopled by tribes but little removed from a state 
of barbarism. In less than a year he had established schools 
here and had given such a stimulus to education that the re- 
sidents of the place were noted for their learning centuries 
afterwards. According to local tradition the rivers of Chao 
Chow were then infested by crocodiles which devoured the 
domestic animals and kept the people in a state of terror. 
Han Yu was implored to rid the country of these reptiles 
which he proceeded to do according to the classic Chinese 
custom. He wrote an ultimatum to the crocodiles, which was 
thrown into the water with a pig and a goat, and the reptiles 
thereupon disappeared, never to be seen again. Shrines in 
the neighborhood commemorate this exploit and the ultima- 
tum remains to this day a model of literary style. It may also 
be added that there are no crocodiles in the neighborhood. 

Yunnan. — The province of Yunnan lies in the extreme 
southwest of China. It is of a mountainous character with 
large open plateaus of considerable altitude. Till the opening 
of the Tonkin-Yunnan railway by French enterprise a few 
years since the province was very much isolated, communi- 
cation being difficult, slow and costly. Now, however, the 
journey from the sea at Haiphong to Yunnanf u the provincial 
capital, may be made cheaply and expeditiously. 

The province is of considerable interest, bordering as it 
does on Tonkin to the south and Burmah to the west. The 
people are of a quiet, friendly disposition and the traveler is 
happily free from the prying curiosity which is so exacting 
and persistent in some other provinces. 

The valleys are occupied by Chinese who speak the usual 
mandarin language of the interior, while in the mountains 
one may find an almost endless variety of aboriginal tribes 
such as Lolos, Miaotze, and numerous others, affording a fine 



308 HANDBOOK FOR CHINA 

scope for study along ethnological lines, There are many 
Mohammedans in all parts of the province; hence certain 
forms of provisions are available that are not usually found 
in a purely Chinese community. Beef, mutton, fowls and 
many kinds of fruit and vegetables are plentiful. 

The climate is very much like that of Northern Califor- 
nia, onh^ the summers are much more moderate. The ther- 
mometer ranges from 30^ to 85^ with a sunny, rainless 
winter — the rainfall being confined to the months from May 
to October. Winter is thus the time to travel par excellence 
and nothing can be finer or more enjoyable than a cross- 
country journey over the mountains of Yunnan in its brilliant 
winter weather. 

Coolies for transport of goods, and ponies for riding are 
to be had always at reasonable rates. Cot beds, blankets and 
the usual impedimenta of the careful traveler are necessary. 

Yunnanfu is the capital of the province, and is the 
largest city in Yunnan. It lies in a well-watered extensive 
plain on the east of a charming lake 23 miles long by 12 
wide that lends much charm to the landscape. The elevation 
of the plain, 6500 feet, ensures a comfortable climate and is a 
most refreshing change from the depressing heat of Tonkin 
and other shoreward places. 

The city contains about 100,000 people, is surrounded 
by a good wall, and is famous for its jade-cuttihg and metal 
works such as bronze idols, incense burners, etc. 

The Confucian temple in the center of the city is worthy 
of notice and may be inspected for a small gratuity to the 
custodian. The buildings of the main temple are of imposing 
size and well preserved, though dirty and neglected. A small 
grove of cypress trees gives the touch of rusticity and solitude, 
while the bridges and tanks maintain the classic touch with 
the past. Across the big lake, the transit of which takes about 
three hours, there is a lofty ridge with a very precipitous face 
towards the east. Here the ingenuity of the people has 
combined with their religious bent to build a series of temples, 
galleries and grottoes in the face of the cliff, with ornamental 
balustrades excavated in the original rock at a point whence 



YUNNAN 309 

there is a sheer drop to the water far below. A magnificent 
view opens across the lake to the picturesque city @f Yunnan 
and its amphitheater of mountains to the north and east. At 
one point a lunching room with a round table and seats cut 
from the solid rock. 

Ten miles northeast of the city is Hei Lung Tan (Black 
Dragon Spring,) where there is a fine temple in a grove 
guarding a beautiful spring of pure water which gushes from 
the limestone and goes meandering across the plain, carrying 
fertility in its course. 

About ten miles directly east from the city is a bronze 
temple of equal fame and beauty — Chin Tien — locally known 
as ''The Copper Temple." This gem lies in a miniature forest 
and is approached from the main road by a series of paved 
terraces across which gateways are built and named "The 
First Gate of Heaven," ''The Second Gate of Heaven" and 
so on. The approach to the main temple is impressive though 
dilapidated as is usual in even the most interesting spots in 
this land. 

The main temple is built wholly of bronze, even the ban- 
ner and flagstaff being of that metal. A wall encloses the 
temple, built to imitate a city wall; and indeed the resem- 
blance to a miniature city is very striking. The temple was 
built during the Ming dynasty and is said to be one of two 
similar structures in China. Date of building 1628 to 1644. 

A short distance from the south gate of the city is an 
interesting ruin, worthy of notice by the amateur archaeo- 
logist. An adobe building in a disreputable condition of 
forlorn despair is an object of pride to the local Moham- 
medans as being the tomb of Seyyid ed jel, a Mongol prince 
who was governor of Yunnan from 1274 — 9, the date of his 
death. 

In the vicmity of Yunnan are many ruins, the result of 
the Mohammedan rebellions which devastated the province 
from 1855 to 1873 and came within an ace of succeeding, 
being thwarted only by the defection of the principal rebel 
general, Ma Ru Lung, and his men, when a ferocious 
massacre took place and the country was pacified in the time- 



310 HANDBOOK FOR CHINA 

honored manner of killing off all the rebels that could be 
found. 

While the city itself is smaller than most provincial 
capitals there are few places that offer more attractions in 
such agreeable surroundings than Yunnan. There is a 
growing foreign community in which French naturally 
predominates, but no traveler need long remain a stranger in 
this hospitable city. 

The French government supports a hospital and schools 
for both boys and girls where the French language and liter- 
ature is taught gratuitously. Electric light, telephones, tele- 
graphs, a mint and arsenal, extensive barracks and the 
ever-present soldier are evidences that Yunnan is swinging 
into the modern current in common with the rest of China. 
The people of the capital are quiet and reticent, generally 
friendly, and phlegmatic enough to pay little attention to 
a casual stranger. There is a large student population in 
the schools, some seven or eight hundred being here from all 
parts of the province. 

The approach to the province is from Haiphong, the 
principal port of the French colony of Tonkin. Haiphong 
is reached by frequent steamers from Hongkong. The 
French customs regulations in Tonkin are stringent in re- 
gard to merchandise, but passengers' baggage is subjected 
only to the ordinary scrutiny and rarely is there any objec- 
tion raised. The exception is in the case of firearms, for 
which a special permit is necessary before they can be brought 
across the frontier at Ho Kou. The customs officials at that 
point will arrange this matter for the traveler. 

From Haiphong the traveler proceeds to Hanoi where 
the first night is spent. Railroad traffic west of Hanoi is 
suspended at night Leaving Hanoi at 6 30 the next morning 
the Tonkin- Chinese frontier is reached at Lao Kay in about 
twelve hours. Here the second night is spent. Good hotels 
on the French plan are availabe at all stopping places. From 
Lao Kay the traveler crosses into China the next morning 
and travels up the valley of the Namti through some of the 
most interesting scenery to be found in railroad travel. The 



YUNNAN 311 

line rises rapidly anC rs a triumph in railroad engineering. 
The road crosses the plain of Mengtze, on the farther side of 
which are the noted tin mines of Kochin. The third night 
is spent at A-mi-ches, a typical Chinese city of the old type 
— wall, gates, smells, etc. — with a modern suburb near the 
station. The next day Yunnanfu is reached early in the even- 
ing. Here there are one or two fair hotels, such as the Hotel 
Terminus, where accommodations may be secured for the stay. 

From Yunnan the main roads reach out to the east for 

, Kweichow, the next province to the east ; to the west for 

Talif u and Burmah ; to the north for Szechuan and the 

Yangtsze valley and to the northwest for the aboriginal 

country and the borders of Tibet. 

Many parts of the province are practically unknown to 
foreign travelers. In the time of the Ming dynasty particularly, 
banishment to the "frontiers of Yunnan" was a much dreaded 
punishment. But as the province becomes better known and 
more closely investigated it reveals attactions that are bound 
to make it a favorite region with the tourist and explorer. 
The Frenchman sees France again in the alternation of 
mountain and valley and meandering rivers beneath a sun 
that recalls the Riviera and its sun-bathed hills. While 
Yunnanfu is at present the best known portion of the province, 
the roads that connect with the southwest, northwest and 
southeast parts of Yunnan offer to the traveler attractions 
that will be hard to resist. 

Away down in the southeast corner of the province, 
eighteen days from Yunnanfu, lies the little custom outpost of 
Ssu-mao, a place opened to the foreign trade which it was 
hoped might be developed across the Shan states from British 
Burmah. Here, in this remote spot, one or two foreign 
gentlemen in the employ of the Chinese customs pass their 
time in the midst of a highly interesting population. While 
the Chinese are the ruling race, there is a medley of folks 
interesting in its variety and attractive because of its prob- 
lems. Shans in the valleys, Wahs in the hills and many 
other kinds wedged between, a market day in Ssu-mao is a 
moving picture of intensest interest. Beyond Ssu-mao, in the 



312 HANDBOOK ^OR CHINA 

triangular patch bevveen China, Bufmah and Tonkin is a 
kind of no man's land, where adventure and discovery invite 
those whose temperament leads along that path. 

To the northwest, where China impinges on Tibet and 
the debatable land of the Tibetan marches, there is much 
country bf a character that appeals to the ardent traveler- 
high mountain ranges with deep sheltered valleys where shy 
unknown peoples live and the sportsman may still find prey 
worthy of his mettle— ^bears, deer, leopards and many kinds 
of game birds such as Lopho horus Tibetanum; tragapans 
and various kinds of pheasant, golden. Reeves, Amherst and 
the common China sort. To enjoy this kind of travel leisure 
and temperament are needed : having which the opportunities 
for enjoyment are practically unlimited. ^ 

The rate of travel along the main roads averages from 20 
to 25 miles per day, going by the regular stages which are 
fixed by *'olo custom" and so form the most useful unit in 
calculating the journey. The best inns and other accom- 
modations and provisions for the road are to be found at 
the regular stages^ so the seasoned traveler tries to make 
his halting places coincide with these. On the smaller roads 
one has to trust his luck and rely upon his foresight and 
backbone. 

From Yunnanfu to Suifu in the Yangtsze valley is a 
journey of twenty-six stages — leisurely traveling. The road 
passes through two large cities and the usual collection of 
market villages and hamlets. Foreign residents, missionaries, 
may be found at Tungchuan and Chaotung, at which points 
pleasant breaks may be made in the journey. 

To the west the road runs to Talifu, a journey of thirteen 
days, where a halt should be made to look over the very in- 
teresting country connected with the abortive rising of the 
Mohammedans in the middle of the last century. English 
and French missionaries reside at Tali and are available for 
local information. 

At Tali the road divides — the traveler for Burmah and 
the west goes by the official road that leads to Bhamo and the 
valley of the Irrawady. The road crosses the valleys of the 



TIN MINES OF KOCHIN 315 

Mekong, Salwen and Shiveli rivers and affords a comprehen- 
sive insight into the the character of this little known, much 
debatable frontier country. The time needed from Tali to 
Bhamo is about twenty-five days. The chief towns on the 
way are Yungchang and Tengyueh. At the latter are a 
consul, customs house, and mission station. The road is 
impossible during the rainy season. 

From Tali to the northwest a road runs up to Batang in 
the Tibetan marches of China. Time required between the 
two cities approximately the same as to Bhamo. 

The character of the country and people are quite dif ^ 
ferent, however, both country and people being of a wilder 
and less conventional type. The people are of a very hetero- 
geneous character but are quiet and friendly towards for- 
eigners. 

The Roman Catholic missions have some very strong 
and well-developed stations on the way, where travelers are 
made welcome and afforded such assistance as may be re^ 
quired. 

Summary of routes : - 

Hong Kong to Yunnanfu :— 

Steamer from Hong Kong to Haiphong 3 days 

Haiphong to Yunnanfu by rail 3J4 „ 

Yunnanfu to Suifu by road 26 „ 

„ Talifu 25 

Talifu to Bhamo in Burmah. 25 „ 

Talifu to Batang, Eastern Tibet 25 

The Yunnan dollar and subsidiary coinage is available 
all the way. 

Passports are needed to enter China at Lao Kay. These 
should be obtained ft Canton or from Peking. Should the 
traveler, however, find himself at the frontier without a pass- 
port, a permit may be obtained from the Chinese official at 
the border town of Ho Ksou— three minutes from Lao Kay. 
The hotel or the Chinese customs official can give needed 
directions how to procure this. 

Tin Mines of Kochin — On the way from Lao Kay ta 
Yunnanfu the railroad passes within a few miles of the cele- 



314 HANDBOOK FOR CHINA 

brated tin mines of Kochin. The mines are most easily 
reached from Pe-she-tchai, a station on the railway near the 
town of Mengtze. Ponies and chairs are obtainable through 
the hotel keeper and are reasonable in rate. Two days 
should be ample for the trip and inspection of the place. The 
mines are situated in the mountains and carry on their opera- 
tions by means of labor brought in from the surrounding 
country. A hrge town has b<;cn built np adjacent to the 
mines for the accommodation of those employed there. 

The Swallow's Cave. — A second side trip that may be 
taken on the way up by the railway is that to the Swallow's 
cave in Chi Kai. The break in the rail journey should be 
made at A-mi-chou, the second night from Hanoi. It entails 
a little journey inland from that point but the whole may be 
accomplished in two days. 

The cave is approached by a small footpath leading to a 
very ordinary looking Chinese temple. Passing through the 
temple and out by a side door, one is led into a weirdly 
fantastic scene that reminds one of a built-up fairy land such 
as one sees upon the stage. 

Standing at the upper edge of a grotto one sees a swiftly 
flowing river entering the cave from the north side and dis- 
appearing in the gloom on the opposite side. A steep stone 
staircase leads down to a terrace immediately above the river. 
The limestone in the cave has been carved into lions, inscrip- 
tions and various devices so dear to the Chinese heart, while 
magnificent stalactites hang everywhere from the roof in 
wavy nbbcn-shaped forms and delicate tints of cream, pink 
and yellow. The swallow's have appropriated the cave for 
their own uses and build their nests by the thousand in the 
shelter of the cave. 



<==^o^r=> 



iMr)E::x. 



In the following index names of jilaces and geographical 
names are marked luith * luhile names of persons are 
marked f. 



Abdication Edict, 93. 

tAbeel, 74. 

*Aberdeeii, 288. 

tAlopen, 73. 

Altar of Earth, Peking, 223. 

Altar of Heaven, Peking, 209. 

Amahs, 15. 

tAmaral, General Ferreira do, 

297. 
Ambassador's Eoute, 168. 
American Eed Cross Society, 

work of, 164. 
fAmherst, Lord, mission to 

China, 50, 168. 
*A-m:-choii, 311, 314. 
*Amo7, 300-302. 
Ampo Eailway, 263. 
Ancestral Worship, 70-71. 
Anglo-Chines3 Agreement, 40. 
*Anhwei province. 164. 
♦Anking, 163-164.' 
*Annam, 48. 
Arabia, relations with, 72, 292, 

296. 
Architecture, 85-86. 
Arrow War, 52-53. 
Arts, 78-92. 

Art Museum, Peking, 222. 
Art, books on, 22-24. 
Astronomy and Peking Obser- 

vatory, 220-221. 
tAttila, 46. 
Austria, relations witl% 59-60. 

Baggage, 16-25. 
♦Batang, 190-191,313. 
Beamless Temple, Soochow, 147. 



B3]l Tower, Peking, 219. 

*Bliamo, 311. 

Big Bell Temple, Peking, 219- 
220. 

Black Pagoda, Foochow, 801. 

*Bocca Tigris, 292. 

*Bohea Hills, 304. 

Books on China, 20-24. 

Botanical and zoological gar- 
dens, Peking, 224. 

Boxer outbreak, 58-60, 206, 255. 

Brass work, 8, 112, 177, 207. 

fBridgman, 74. 

Brigands, 26. 

Britain, relations with, 53-55, 
57, 59-60, 104-105, 265, 271, 
282, 286, 293. 

Bronze Temple, Yunnanf u, 309. 

Bronze work, 8, 84-85. 

Bubbling Well Eoad, 109. 

Buddha, 66-69. 

Buddhism, 66-69, 128-133, 47, 
165. 

'^ Buddhist Hell,'' Tianf u, 276. 

fBurgevine, 52. 

Burmah, tribute, from, 48, route 
to, 191, 311-312. 

Calendar, 24-25. 

*Cambulac, 73, 202. 

fCamoens, 299, 

Canals, 19. 

Candareen (coin), 10, weight, 39. 

*Canton, 290-295. 

Canton-Kowloon Eailway, 290. 

Carriage hire, 18. 

Carving, 88-89. 



INDEX, CONTINUED. 



Cash, 9. 

Catty, 38-39. 

Chang, (measurement), 40, 

tChang Chien, 159-160. 

Chang Chih-tung, 172. 

tChangchun, 257-258. 

Changchim-Kirin Eailway, 250^ 

258. 
tChang Hsun, 100, 212. 
*Changsha, 175-178, 161. 
tChang Shin Cheng, 144. 
tChang Shi Hsin, 119. 
tChang Tao-ling, 126. 
*Ohao-ehow-fu, 806-307. 
*Chao lake, 164. 
*Chef 00, 263-264. 
*Chekiang province, 125-142. 
*Chenchow, 197-198. 
Chen Dynasty, 46. 
*Chengchow, 192. 
tCheng Hsien Chung, 49. 
*Cheng, State of, 192. 
Cheng Tai Eailway, 241. 
*Chengteh, 178. 
*Cheng-ting-fu, 192, 241. 
*Chengtu, 185-187. 
tChia Ching, Emperor, 233, 235. 
*Chiamdo, 190. 

Chia I, Temple, Changsha, 176. 
tChien Lung, Emperor, 119, 124, 

126, 152, 215, 218, 226, 233, 

235, 277. 
tChien Liu, 117. 
*Ghien Tang Eiver, 116, 118, 

127. 
Ch'ihj (measurement), 40. 
*Chihli province, 234. 
*Chi Ka, 314. 
*Chi.Kung Shan, 192. 
Chin Dynasty, 44, 117, 201. 
♦Chin, Kingdom of, 192. 
Chinese Dollar, 12. 
Chinese-Eastern Eailway, 248, 

256. 
Chinese Government Eailways, 

16. 
Chinese names, 36. 
Ch'ing, (measurement), 40. 
Ching-Han Eailway, 192-193. 
*Chin.Ho Eiver, 161, 187. 



Chin-lau-tien, Palr»ce, Moukden^ 

250. 
*Ching-teh.chen. 170-171, 166^ 

168. 
tChing-tsong, Emperor, 231. 
*Chin-wan-tao, 247- 
tChing Hwa, 80. 
*Chingkiang, 151-153. 
Chit, 12, 30. 
Chivalry, period of, 46. 
tChou Kun, 274. 
tChou-sin, Emperor, 43. 
tChow, Duke of, 43. 
Christianity, 72-74. 
Chu, Kingdom of, 46, 173, 192, 
tChuang Lieh, Emporor, 49. 
*Chuf ou, 277. 
tChung, Prince Eegent, 61. 
♦Chungking, 161, 184. 
*Chung.tu, 201. 
*Chunsan island, 179. 
*Chusan archipellago, 129, 134^ 

139. 
*Chusan island, 138. 
tChu Yuan, 176. 
Climate, 6-7. 
Cloisonne, 8, 90. 
Clothing for travelers, 78. 
Coal Hill, Peking, 224. 
*Cochin-China, 55. 
Co-hong of Canton, 50, 293. 
Coinage, 9-13. 
tConfucius, 276, burial place^ 

277-79, Temple to, Peking, 217, 

Great Temple, 278. 
Confucianism, 69-70. 
tCorvini, 73. 
Cumshaw, 30. 
Customs House, 7. 

♦Dalney (Dairen), 258-259. 

*Dawo, 190. 

Dialects, 6. 

District Magistrates, 95-97. 

Dutch, relations with, 130, 133^ 

49. 
*Derge, 190. 

Devil Dance, Lama, 216. 
Drum Tower, Nanking, 155| 

Peking, 219. 



INDEX, CONTINUED, 



III 



Dynasties of China, Chin, 45, 
Han, 45-46, Bhang, 43, Yin, 
43, Chow, 43, Tsi, 46. Liang, 
46, Chen, 46, Sui, 46, Tang, 
46, Sung, 47, Yuan, 48, 
Ming, 48, Ts^ing, 50, Manchu, 
50-61. 

Eastern Tombs, 233. 

Eastern Turkestan, 3. 

East India Company, relations 

with, 50, 138. 
East Eiver, 293. 
Elgin's mission to" China, 5S, 
Embroidery, 90-91, 8, 177. 
Enameling, 89. 
Examination Halls, Nanking, 

157, Peking, 221. 
Examinations, official, 221. 
Exchange, 9-13. 

Famille vert, 80-81. 

Famille rose, 82. 

*Fati, 293.' 

*Fengtien, (see Moukden), 248- 

253. 
Feng Skui, 75-76. 
fFernando Peres de Andrade, 

48-49. 
*Eeng Yang Hsien, 115, 157. 
Feudal System in China, 46. 
First Eailway, 106. 
Fire Tower, Nanchang, 169. 
Flagstaff, Hongkong, 288. 
*Foochow, 302-305. 
Food and Drink, 27-28. 
Formosa, Dutch in, 49. 
*' Four Great Kings," 68. 
Forbidden City, Peking, 205. 
France, relations with, 52-60, 

105,293. 
Franciscans, 73-74. 
tFu Hsi, 42, 197, 238. 
Fushun colliery, 253. 
*Fukien province, 306-306. 
♦Fulin, 191. 

Geographical divisions, 6. 
Germany, relations with, 57, 59- 
60,266,271. — 



Gilded Ball, Pagoda of, Nan- 

chang, 169. 
*Golden Mountain, 151-152. 
Golden Palace, Tianfu, 276. 
*Golden Eiver, 161. 
tGordon, General *^ Chinese,'*" 

54, 245. 
Government of China, 93-101. 
tGhengis Khan, 47, 201. 
"^Grand Canal, 246-247, 99, 151. 
*Great Lake (Ta Hu), 115, 146, 

149. 
Great Pagoda, Soochow, 145,. 

Anking, 163. 
Great Wall, 41, 231, 256. 
Guides, rates, 26-27. 

♦Hainan, 296, 300. 

*Haining, 136-137, pagoda, 

135-136. 
♦Haiphong, 307, 310. 
♦Haiting, 302. 
Hakkas, 296. 

Hall of Classics, Peking, 2 18-2 19» 
Han Dynasty, 45-46, 2, 186, 197. 
Han, Prince of, 45. 
*Hangchow, 116-125, 115,47. 
♦Hangchow Bore, 134-137. 
*Hankow, 171-172, 160, capture 

by Taipings, 52, outbreak of 

revolution, 62, 173. 
Hankow-Canton Eailway, 172. 
Hankow-Peking Eailway, 171. 
*Hanoi, 310. 

♦HanEiver, 171-172, 161. 
♦Hanyang, 172-175, capture by 

Taipings, 52, outbreak of 

revolution, 62, 17G 
tHan Yu, 306. 
Harbin, 256-257. 
tHart, Sir Eobert, 107. 
Heaven Invested Pagoda, Ning- 

po, 138. 
♦Heilungkiang province, 254, 
*He Lung Tan, 309. 
*Hensheng Mountain, 180. 
*Hengchou, 177. 
*Hienyang, 44. 
'* Hill of a Thousand Buddbas," 

Tsinanfu, 269. 



INDEX, CONTINUED. 



♦Himalayas, 138. 

History, books on, 21. 

*Ho Ksoii, 313. 

tHo Lu, Prince, 144. 

*Honan Province, 192. 197. 

*Hongkew, 104. 

*Hongkong, 282-290, ceded to 

Great Britain, 51. 
*Hongtsze Lake, 164. 
Hotels, rates, 25-26. 
♦Hoshiguara (Star Beach), 

259. 
Houseboat trips, 114-115. 
Hsia Dynasty, 196. 
tHsiao, Empress, 157. 
*Hsia Kwan, 155, 158, 
iHsien Feng, Emperor, 52, 233, 

235. 
*Hsing-cliing, 249. 
*Hsien-ching Hsien, 192. 
*Hsi3n-tien, 192. 
*Hsuchowfu, 280. 
tHsu Chin Yang, 168. 
THuiLi, 122-123. 
*Hunan ,province, 178-180. 
*Hui-li-chow, 191. 
tHuiig Wu, Emperor, 48, 155, 

157, 231. 237. 
tHung-Chi, 80. 
Hurs, 46. 
Hunting, 13-14. 
tHung Hsio-chuen, 52. 
*Hup3h province, 173. 
Hutungs, 204. 
*Hwang'Ho (Yellow Elver), 

270-271. 
tHwang-ti, Emperor, 42. 
*Hweichow, 164. 

*Ichang, 161, 184. 

*Ichang Gorge, 180-181. 

Inns, Chinese, 25-26. 

India, relations with, 122=124, 

67, 127, 129. 
Industries in China, 78-92. 
Ink Pagodp, Soochow, 146. 
Iron Pagoda, Kaifeng, 194. 
Islam in China, 72. 
Italy, relations with, 59-60. 
Ivory carving, 8, 88. 



Jade, 88-89, 308. 

*Jaochou River, 170. 

Japan, relations with, 55-00, 122, 

130, 2C1, 264, 267. 
*Jehol, 234. 
*Jen-tsu-shan, ** Mount Aarat 

of China," 242. 
*Jessfield, 115. 
Jesuits, 112, 200. 
Jewelry, 89-90. 
Jews in China, 194-195, 118, 

237. 
Jinricsha, 17. 
t John of Monte Corvino, 73. 

Kaehyns, tribe, 189. 
*Kaifeng, 192-195, 47. 
Kaifeng-Honan Railway, 193, 

197. 
*Kai-lung river, 161. 
*Kalgan, 233. 
Kalgan Railway, 231. 
fKangHsi, Emperor, 119, 124, 

126, 145, 152, 227, 233, 235. 
*Kan River, 168, 169. 
*Kantze, 190. 
*Kanlushan, 151. 
*Kansu province, 4. 189. 
*Kao-p3i-tien, 192,232. 
tKao-tsong, Emperor, 46. 
tKetteler, Baron von, 59. 
*Ke Lo Feng, 177. 
*KhanbalLk, Peking, 201. 
*Kialing River, 184, 187. 
♦Kiangka, 190. 
*Kiangpeh, 184. 
*Kiangsi province, 170. 
*Kiangsu province, 159. 
*Kiaochow, (Tsingtao), 266-267, 

57. 
*=^Kiatingfu, 187-188. 
*Kiench*ang valley, 188, 191. 
tKie, Emperor, 43. 
King of Chala, 190. 
*Kirin, 254. 

*Kiukian^. 165-166, 162. 
*Kochin. 314. 
*Kolongsu, 301-302. 
Koran in China, 72. 
Korea, relations with, 47, 55. 



INDEX, CONTINUED. 



tKowloOD, 290, ceded to Britain, 

53. 
tKoxiaga, 154, 301. 
fKuang Hsu, Emperor, 122, 222, 

233, 
Kuan Ti (God of War), 68. 
Kuan Yin (Goddess of Mercy), 

69. 
*Kuan Li-pu, 193. 
tKublai Klian, 47-48, 201, 220. 
♦Kuling, 166-168. 
♦Kulimg, 304. 
*rvu:n-chuck, 300. 
jKiinL^ Duke of, 277. 
♦Kunshan, 160. 
*Kung-lan river, 161. 
*Kwangsi province, 4. 
*Kweifu, 180. 
*Kweitehfu, 196. 
*Kw:iehow province, 4. 
*Kwangcbowman, ceded to 

FiancG, 57. 
*Kwangtung Provinc?, 293-294. 
fKwang Hsu, Emperor, 55. 

Lace n^aking, 90, Chefoo, 264. 
Lacqu :r, 91-92, 139,304. 
*Ladrones, 283, 288. 
*LaoKay, 310. 
Laws and Passports, 35. 
tLnotsze, 64-66, 43. 
Larnaism, 214-215. 
tLanckcwfu, 241. 
Lama temples, Peking, 213-217. 
*Laniay?, 190. 
*Leang-l:siang Hsien, 192. 
Legation Quarter, Peking., 207- 

209. 
*Lbassa, 189, 191. 
X/, weight, 39, Chinese mile, 

40. 
Liang^ weight, 39. 
Liang Dynasty, 46, 158. 
*Liaotung Peninsala, 49. 
*Liaoyang, 260. 
tLi Hung Chang, E2, 54. 
Licheeb' 28. 
Liki\ 7. 
L:i]g-yin, Monastery, of Kang- 

clxTT, 122-123. 



*Lint*ung Hsien, 238. 

fLi Yuan Hung, 62. 

tLi Tai-po, 162^. 

tLi Pu, 167. 

tLi Ping, 185. 

tLiTzu Cheng, 49, 193. 

*Litang, 190. 

*Liou-li-ho, 192. 

Living Buddha, 213. 

*Loess Plain, 240. 

*Loho Valley. 197. 

*Lolo, tribe, 18S, 192, 307. 

Loongwha Pagoda, Shangbait 

116. 
*Lowu, 290. 
*Lung Lu Shan, 06. 
*Lung Men Channel, 196. 
*Lushan, mountain, 165. 
*Lushun (Port Arthur), 261-263. 
*Lu, State of, 273. 

♦Macao, 297-299. 
tMacCartney, Lord, mission to 

China, 50, 168, 235. 
Mace (coin), 10, weight, 89. 
Manners and Customs, books on^ 

21. 
Mantsze, tribe, 188. 
3Iafoo. 18. 

*Manchuria, 253"255, 60-61. 
Mangoes, 28. 
Manchus, rise to power, 49-50, 

massacres of, 62. 
Manchu Dynasty, 50-61, 203, 

210. 
Maitreye, Buddhist Messiah, 68, 

image of, Peking, 215. 
tMarco, Polo, 1, 48, 73, 118, 123, 

152-153. 
Maiitim^e Customs, 8. 
Measures, Chinese, 38. 
♦Moiling Pass, 169. 
♦Mekong Valley, 313. 
♦Mengtzc, 311, 314. 
tMencius, 43-49, 279-281, 70^ 

279. 
Mexican dollars, 5, 11-13. 
Miaotze Tribes, 307. 
JVIing Dynaslv, 48, 189, 193^ 

202. . 



\1 



INDEX, CONTINUED* 



♦Miugan Pass, 303. 

Mile Fo (Buddhist God), 68. 

fMilne, 74. 

Ming Tombs, Nanking, 155-157, 

Peking, 229. 
*Min, Kingdom of, 304. 
*Min Eiver, 302-304. 161, 186, 

187. 
Missionary work, books on, 22, 

operations, 73-74. 
Mohamedanism, 71-72, 125, 186, 

200, 237, 308. 
Motiamedan Mosques, 225. 
*MokGsLan, 113. 
Monastciy of Benevolence, 

Kiukiang, 165. 
Money, 9-13. 
Money Changers, 12-13. 
*Mongolia, 3. 
Mongols, 47-48. 
Mongol Dynasty, 47-48. 
Monuments, 85-86. 
•Monument Hill, Port Arthur, 

262. 
tMorrison, Robert, 74, 299. 
Motor Cars, hire of, 18. 
^Moukden, 248-53. 
Moukden-Antung Eailway^ 248. 
tMouler, Archdeacon, 138. 
*Mount Lansdowne, 265. 
*Mount Gcschen, 265. 
*Mount Omi, 187. 
*Mount MacDonald. 265. 
Mow, Chinese acre, 40-41. 
*Mu Lin Mountain, 192. 

♦Nanchang, 168-169. 
*Kanking, 153-159, 47, treaty of 

51, 104, 293. 
*iSrankow, 229-232. 
*Nantai Island, 303. 
*Nan Ting Chow, 178. 
*JSrantungchow, 159-160. 
*Nan Yo Mountain, 180. 
^JSTational Museum, Peking, 

222. 
Needle Pagoda, Hangchow, 117, 

121. 
Nestorians, 72-73, 237, 238. 
*Newchwang, 263. 



*Nine Lotus Flower Mountain* 

163. 
*Ningchow, 170. 
*Ningpo, 137-142. 
*Ningyuanfu, 191. 
Noah, 198, 243. 
North Tomb, Moukden, 251. 
No Su Tribe, 188, 19L 
tNurhschu, 49, 254, Palace of, 

250, tomb of, Moukden, 252. 

tOdoric, Friar, 118.] 
tOgotai, 47. 
*0mj, Mount, 187. 
*Opium War, 51. 

Pagodas, 3.04, 169, 145, 163, 138, 

116, 121, 194, 154-155, 146, 304. 
*Pagoda Hill, 269, Island, 303. 
Pailoivs, 86. 
Painting, 83-84. 
*Pao-ting-fu, 192, 241. 
*Pao-shan, 116. 
tParkes, Sir Harry, 107. 
Parliament, 99. 
Passports, 35. 
*Peail River, 290. 
*Pei Chi River, 300. 
*Pei Ohihli, gulf of, 247. 
•'•Peiho River, 244. 
*Pei Lin, 238. 
'^Peitaiho, 247. ' 
*Pe"king, 199-233. 
Peking-Hankow Railway, 192- 

193. 
Peking-Moukden Railway, 243, 
Pcking-Kalgan Railwav, 229, 

231. 
*Pengpu, 272. 
Persia, relations with, 200. 
Persimmons, Chinese, 28. 
*Pe-she-tchia, 314. 
^Pescadores, 56. 
*Phcenix Hill, Hangchow, 117. 
tPhu Hsi, 168. 
F'iml, weight, 38-39. 
Pidgin English, 28-32. 
Piau Liang, 193. 
*Piilar of Heaven, Yang1;sz6 

Gorges, 181. 



INDEX, CONTINUED. 



VII 



Pinghsiang coUiary, 170, 173. 

*Pinchou, 248. 

Pirates, 26. 

Political relations, books on, 

21-22. 
*Pootoo, Sacred island of, 

128-133. 
Population, hy provinces, 4. 
Porcelain, 78-83, 166, 170. 
*Pokf olum, 289. 
Porcelain Pagoda, Nanking, 

154-155. 
*Port Arthur, 261-263, leased bj 

Kussia, 57, taken by Japan, 

60. 
Portugese traders, 137-138, 297- 

299, 48, 301. 
Postoffices, 35-36. 
tPottinger, Sir Henry, 51. 
*PoyangLake, 168-169. 
*Praia Grande, 298. 
Precious Stone Tea House, 

Nanking, 157. 
PuHsieu, (God of Goodness), 69. 
*Pukow, 158-159, 281. 
tPu Yi, Emperor, 61. 

Queues, origin of, 49. 

Kailways, Ampo, 263, Canton- 
Kowloon, 290, Changehun- 
Kiriu, 250, 258, Cheng Tai, 
24 1, Chinese-Eastern, 248, 256, 
Chinese Government, 16, First. 
106, Kaifeug-Honan, 193, 
197, Moukden-Antung, 248, 
Peking - Hankow, 192 - 193, 
Peking-Moukden,243,Peking- 
Kalgan, 229, 231, Shanghai- 
Nanking, 142-143, Shanghai- 
Hangchow, 103, 'll6. South 
Manchuria', 259-261, Tonking- 
Yunnan, 307, Tientsin-Pukow, 
271-272, Wuchang-Changsha, 
175. 

Eainfall, 7. © 

Bams, City of, Canton, 291. 

Rebellions, 26, 

*Red Basin, 187. 

Reference Books on China, 22-24. 



Religions of China, 64-77, books 

on, 22. 
Republican revolution, 61-63. 
fRicci, Matteo, 73, 194. 
jRichtofen, Baron, 240. 
Ricshas, 17. 
Roads, 20. 

Roman Catholics, 73-74, 112, 142, 
Rome, relations with, 196. 
Routes and fares, 32-35. 
Russia, relations with, 59-60, 57, 

261-262, 248-249, 255, 259, 263. 
Rugs, Tientsin, 207. 
Russo-Japanese War, 248-249, 

261-262, 60, 255, 259, 263. 

*Salwen River, 313. 

*Samshui, 300. 

Sang de JBoeuf, 80. 

*San.ha.pu, 306. 

Satan, origin of, 30i. 

tSchall, 73. 

Sedan chair hire, 18. 

Servants, 14-16. 

*Sha Ho River, 192. 

Shakyamuni, (Chinese name for 

Buddha), 66. 
*Shameen, 293. 
fShan, Emperor, 217. 
tShang, Prince of, 43. 
Shang Dynasty, 43, 196. 
^Shanghai, 102-1 IG. 
Shanghai - Nanking Railway, 

103, 142-143. 
Shanghai-Hangchow Railway, 

103, 116. 
Shang-tu,(Ruler of Heaven), 210. 
*Shan-hai-kwan, 256. 
*ShansL province, 4. 
*Shan Shing Kung, (j6. 
*Shantung province, 273-274. 
*Shasi, 161. 
*Shaohing, 126-128. 
tShau-hau, Emperor, 279. 
*Shengking, 254. 
tShen Nung, Emperor, 42, 197, 

212. 
*Shensi province, 239. 
tShih Hwang-ti, Eraperor, 44, 

218, 237, 238, 274. 



I 



INBEX, CONTINUED. 



Shimonosek], treaty of, 57. 
*Sl]iyeli River, 313. 
Shopping, 8-9, Shanghai, Hi- 
ll 2, Peking, 206-207. 

*Shii, Kingdom of, 185. 

tShiin, Emperor, 42-43, 128, 138, 
180, 267, 274. 

tShiih Chio, Emperor, 119, 22a. 

*Shwang-ho Shan, 196. 

*Sianfn, 236,44-45. 

*Siang Eiver, 176,177. 

*Siang-tan, 176. 

Sifau Tiibes, 188. 

*Siccawei, 112. 

Silk, 86-87, 8, 149, 150, 166, 
Chefoo, 264. 

*Silver Island Pass, 151. 

Silverware, 166. 

Sing-song girls, 148. 

*Sin-tien, 192. 

*Small River, 251. 

Small Money, 12. 

*Soochow, 143-149, 115. 

''Sons of Han," 45. 

South Manchuria Railway, 
259-261. 

South Gate Pagoda, Soochow, 
145. 

''Squeeze,'' 8, 16. 

•' Son of Heaven," 209. 

*Ssu mao, 311. 

*Star Beach, 251. 

Stupa, 86. 

tSuen Te, Emperor, 80. 

Sui Dynasty, 46. 

*Suifu, 161, 312. 

Summer Palace, Peking, 227. 

'*Sungari Mountains, 254. 

Sung Dynasty, 47, 193. 

*Sungkiang, 114. 

*Sung Shan, 196. 

tSun Yat Sen, 24, 62^3. 

Superstitions, 75-77. 

*SwaIIow's Cave, 314. 

Swatov/, 306» 

Sycee, coinage, 11. 

Szechuan province, 187-189. 

Tael^ weight, 9-10. 

*Ta Hu Lake, 115, 146. 149, 



♦Taianfu, 275-276. 

♦Taikeng, 196. 

Tai Miao, Temple, Taianfu, 

276. 
*Tai Shan, 274-277. 

tTai'tsung, Emperor, 46. 

Taiping Rebellion, 52-54, 140, 
154. 

Taipo, 94. 

*Taiyuanfu, 192, 241, 275. 

*Taku Forts, 246. 

*Takhing, 300. 

*Talifu, 191, 311, 312. 

Tan, 39. 

Tang Dynasty, 46, 197, 237. 

tTang Emperor, 43. 

*Tangho, 247. 

tTang Shao-yi, 62-63. 

'^Tapt'u, 151. 

Taoism, 64-66. 

Taofm, 95-97. 

Tao Teh King, 65. 

tTao Kuang, Emperor, 233. 

Tartars, 47. 201, 254. 

*TatsienIu, 188, 189-191. 

*Tayeh, 173. 

*Tcheng Ting Fou, 241. 

Telegrams, 35-36. 

Temples, 223, 209, 219-220, 309, 
176, 217, 278, 213-217, 276, 
212-213, 209-212, 226, 269. 

Temple of Agriculture, Peking, 
212-213. 

Temple of the Dragon's Cave, 
Tsinanfu, 269. 

Temple of Heaven, Peking, 
209-212. 

♦Temple Peak, 265. 

*Tengvueh, 313. 

Theaters, 113-114. 

Three Aboriginal Tribes, King- 
dom of, 179- 

Three Traitors, the, 46. 

Three Kingdoms, the 46, 186. 

Thunder Peak Pagoda, Hang- 
chow, 121. 

♦Tibet, 189-191, 161, 312. 

♦Tiehling, 260. 

♦Tientsin, 244-246. 

♦Tien Hsi Miao, 251. 



INDEX. CONTINUED. 



IX 



Tientsin-Pukow Eailway, 271- 
272. 

Tiger Hill Pagoda, Soochow, 
146. 

Tips, 26-30. 

*Ti Wang Miao, 225. 

*Tonking, 55-56. 

Tonking- Yunnan Railway, 307. 

Transportation, 16-20.. 

Travel, cost of, 5. 

Treaty Ports, 36-38, historv of, 

51, 53, 57. 
tTsao Tsao, 46. 
tTseng Kuo Feb, 180. 
Tsi Pynasty, 46. 
*Tsinanfu, 267-270. 
*Tsingling Mountains, 239. 
*Tsingtau, 266-267, leased to 

Germans, 57. 
*Tsia, Duke of, 44. 
Tsin Dynasty, 44, 197. 
*Tsowbsien, 279-281. 
tTsze Hsi, Empress Dowager, 

54-55. 
fTung Clio, 46. 
*Tungchow, 233, 
fTung-chi, Emperor, 54, 233. 
*Tung Kuan, 197. 
*Tung Wen Kou, 169. 
*Tungting lake, 161, 177, 178. 
Tungusie Tribes, 254. 
Two Pen Pagodas, Soochow, 146. 
Typhoons, 7. 

United States, relations with, 

52, 55, 59-60, 105, 248, 293, 299. 
•Urga, 231, 234. 

'• Venice of the Far East,'' 144. 
tVerbiest, 73, 220. 
Viceroy, 94-98. 
^Victoria, 287. 

tWang Mang, 46. 

*Wanbsien, 183. 

tWard, General Frederick, 52, 

54, 114. 
*Wau, Kingdom of, 164. 
tWeddell, Captain, 50. 
Weights and measures, 38-41. 



*Wei-hai-wei, 264-266, leased to 

Great Britain, 57. 
*Wei, Kingdom of, 46, 192. 
*Wei River, 239. 
Wencbu, (God of Wisdom), 69. 
*Wen Ho River, 275. 
*West Lake, Hangcbow, 124-- 

125, 115. 
*West River. 299-300. 
Western Tombs, 232. 
*Whampao, 292. 
*Whangpoo River, 106. 
White Deer Grotto, Kuling, 167. 
White Cloud Mountians, 293. 
White Pagoda, Foochow, 304. 
Willow Pattern Tea House, 

Shanghai, 111. 
*Woosung, 106, 1 16. 
* VYong-shi-kong, 173. 
*Wuchang, 171-175. 
Wuchang- Changsha Railway , 

175. 
*Wuchowf u, 300. 
*Wu-Han Cities, (Hankow ♦ 

Hanyang and Wuchang), 171- 

175. 
*Wuhu, 162-163, 160. 
fWu Hou, Empress, 46. 
*Wu, Kingdom of, 46, 144, 153, 

173. 
tWu Jui, Prince, 176. 
*Wuning Yalley, 170. 
tWu Sen Kwei, GeneraJ, 46, 256. 
*Wusih, 149-151. 
*Wu-tai-shan, (Sacred moun- ^ 

taia), 241, 243. 
tWu Ting-fang, 62. 
tWu Tse-tien Empress, 238. 
tWuti, Emperor, 158. 
fWu-tsung Emperor, 47. 
tWu-wang, Emperor, 43. 
tWu-yueh, Kings, 117, 

tXavier, St. Francis, 73, 

*Yangchow, 151, 153. 
tYang Su, 117. 
*Yangtsze Gorges, 180-183. 
♦Yangtsze River, 160-162. 
tYao, Emperor, 42-43. 180. 



-% 



INDEX, CONTINUED. 



-fYelioiiola, Empress Dowager, 

46. 
Yellow River, 270-271, 164, 192, 

193, 195, 236, 239. 
Yellow Temple, Peking, 226. 
*Yen-ehei]g Hsien, 192, 
*Yenchowfu, 127, 201. 
*Yeii, Kingdom of, 201. 
*Yen Hsi Slian, 242. 
*Yenyuenhsien, 191. 
"Yinkow, 263. 
Yin Dynasty, 43. 
*Yochow, 161, 179. 
*Yolu Shan, 177. 
*Yuan River, 179. 
Yuan Dynasty, 48. 
"tYuan Shih Kai, 60, 62-63, 100. 



tYu, Em^peror, 43, 117, 128, 138, 

196, 267. 
tYuen-f eu, 86, 
*Yu2-shi-hsien, 191. 
*Yuncbang, 313, 
*Yungchang, 313. 
tYung Cheng, 130, 131, 21S, 233, 

235. 
*Yung River, 138. 
tYung Lo, Emperor, 80, 153, 

155, 201/219,230. 
*Yunnan province, 307, 313. 
*Yunnanfu, 308-309, 191 
*Yuyao, 128, 138. 

*Zahkow, 134. 
•Zayton, 80S, 



J. T. SHAW 

Cable Address " TOTTEN " Tel. 692 

P. O. Box. il2 

SPECIALIST IN MENS WEAR 
SPECIAL AGENCIES 

NETTLETON SHOES AEETEX CELLT3LAR 
MOELEY AND JAEGER 

SPECIALITIES 

BUEBEERY RAINCOATS 
HAWKE AND ELLWOOD 

SUN HATS 

INTERWOVEN 

SOCKS 

LADIES AND GENTLEMENS 

TAILOR 

Hongkong Hotel Buildings 

HONGKONG 



THE HOTEL "ASIA" 



West Bund, Canton 




The Leading Hotel in Canton. 

The highest building in Canton, affording a panoramic 
bird's tye view of the whole city and suburbs. 
Large and airy rooms, elevators, electric lights and 

fans installed. 
Hot and cold water service fitted, excellent cuisine, 

4ar and billiard room, roof garden, Cinematograph 
^heatre and every modern convenience provided. 
Rates of Rooms from $4.00 up 
Reliable Guides, Sedan Chairs and Luncheon Baskets 
.*. provided at a few minutes notice. .*. 

Hotel Motor Boat meets all steamers and trains. 



THE SUN CO., LTD., 

(adjunct to Hotel **Asia") Canton. 

Universal Providers .. Importers and Exporters 
Cable Address "TAISUN"— Code : A. B. C. 5th Edition 

Head Office:— Dcs Voeux Road, Hongkong. 

Sub Branches: — 

Wei Oi Street, Canton. Szechuen Road, Shanghai. 



Chung Foo Union BanK 

(Established in 1917) 

Statistss approved by the Osvemment in 1818 
Head Gffiss: TiENTSiN 

Subscribea Capital $2,000,000.00 

Paid-Up Capital $1,500,000.00 

Reserve Fund ^ 124,000.00 

MBTiBumu Oiriotor: T. ClMmm^ Susi 
Oiputy iflifi^gini Oireot^r^: Ni©h Clii-wil 

Branches and Agencies in Domestic Cities and 
Foreign Countries : 

Tientsin Ningpo Tokio 

Shanghai Shaoshing Osaka 

Peking Canton Kobe 

Hankow Hongkong Yokohama 

Nanking Changteh Chicago 

Yangchow Chengchow Philadelphia 

Hangchow Tsinkiangpu Seattle 

Pengpu Ichang Baltimore 

Changchun Changsha Cleveland 

Antung Shasi Detroit 

Kiukiang VVuhu Buffalo 

Chinkiang London Pittsburgh 

Soochow New York Montreal 

Wusieh San Francisco St. Louis 

Hsuchow Boston Cincinnati 

And also in other principal cities in foreign countries. 

SKANSHAI iRANCH: 

S44^ J\^ingpo Boad 

Every description of Banking and Exchange 
business transacted. Interest allov/ed on Current 
Accounts and Fixed Deposits in taels, dollars, and 
other currencies according to arrangement. 

Credits granted on approved securities. 

T. D. ZAR, Sub-Manager, 
Y. R. SUN, Manager. 



BANK OF 
COMMUNICATIONS 

Specially authorised by Presidential Mandates 
of April 7th, 1914, and October 31, 1915 



Capital: Kuping Taels 10,000,000 



Head Office: PEKING 

Over 60 Branches and Agencies at principal 
cities and commercial centers in China. 

'Agencies abroad: 
SiNGAPOR^^ Hongkong, Tokyo (Japan.) 



SHANGHAI BRANCH 

14 The Bund 

Interest allowed on both Current and 
Fixed Deposit Accounts; Credit granted to 
approved securities, and every description of 
Banking and Exchange business. 

y. M. CHIEN, 
Acting Manager, 



Binquf Belf€ Pour rEfriiier 

Finals da la S§eiit@ gsritral© d® i@fglc|yi 

(THE BELGIAN BANK) 

Paid up Capital Frs, SO,000,CCO 

Reserves ... Frs. 15,978.00 



Head Ofdce: BRUSSELS 
London Office: 2 Bishopsgate, E. C. 2. 
Paris Office: 2 Place de la Bourse. 

Branches: Cologne, Bucharest, Alexandria, 
Tantah, Cairo, Peking and Tientsin. 

Agents: (i) Manchester: 31 Mosley Street. 
(2) New York 22 William Street. 



President: JEAN JADOT 
Gouverneur de la Ste Gle de Belgique. 



Correspondents in all important cities 
of the world. 



Interest allowed on Current Accounts in 
gold or local currency and fixed deposit 
according to arrangements. 

Every description of banking and ex- 
change business transacted.* 

L. STRAETMANS, 

Manager, 



PARK-UNION 

FOREIGN BANKING CORPORATION 



Capita! - • - - G. II^OOO^OOO 

Siarpftss ^u6 Ueidividid Fr^ffts • S. $?S43000 

HEAD OFFICE: 
56 Wall St , New York 

BRANCHES: 
SAN FRANCISCO SEATTLE 

TOKYO PARIS YOKOHAMA 

CANADA 
400 branches of the Union Bank of Canada. 

SHANGHAI BRANCH: 
7 Klukiang Road. T@L C. Um. S874-5875 



CURRENT & FIXED DEPOSITS 

Accepted in Taels, Mexican Dollars, U. S. Dollars, 
Canadian Dollars, Sterling, on Application. 

Every description of^ banking and exchange business 
transacted. 



F. V. REILLY, 

Manager. 



The Indostrial & Commercial Bank Ltd. 

(INCORPORATED 30 MARCH 1917) 
Victoria, Hongkong 

Cable Address : '* KONGSHAN " 

Branch: HANKOW 



DOMESTIC & FOREIGN BANKING 

SERVICE PROMPT 

The bank has correspondents in all the 
important centres of China, Europe and 
North America. 



The Bank conducts a SAVINGS DE- 
PARTMENT, allowing interest 4 per cent 
per annum on the minimum balances over $1. 



$100 may constitute a FIXED DE- 
POSIT^ a special rate of interest on which 
may be arranged satisfactorily. 



Banking by mail is welcome, nredits 
and collections attended. 



Btinqiie infl nstrieH t M Cfilne 

Capital authorised Frs. 250.000.000.— 

Capital subscribed „ 150.000.000.— 

Capital paid up „ 75.000.000 — 

Reserve „ 30,000 JOO.— 

One third of the capital i. e. 

Frs. 50.000.000.— subscribed by 

THE GOVEBNSiEriT OF THE SHir^ESE REPyBUC 

Status approved by the Government of the 

Chinese Republic on January 11th 1913. 

President: Andre BERTHELOT 

General Manager: A. J. PERNOTTE 
Head-Oi^^ice: : 
74 rue Saint Lazare, PARIS 
Branches : 
London, New- York, Antwerp, Marseilles, Lyons, 
Shanghai, Peking, Tientsin, Hankow, Hongkong, 
Canton, Foochow, Yunnanfu, Tsinanfu, Saigon, 
Haiphong, Hanoi, Swatow, Yokohama, Sing- 
apore, Mukden, Vladivostock. 

Bankers : 
In London: The London Joint City and Midland 

Bank, Ltd., London. 
In France: Societe Generale pour favoirser le 

Developpement du Commerce & de 

rindustrie en France. 
In Italy: Banco Commerciale Italiana. 

Credito Italiano. 

TAELS, DOLURS, SOLO AeCCUF^TS 

Interest allowed on current accounts in Gold or 

local currency and fixed deposits on application. 

Every description of Banking and exchange 

business transacted, Savings accounts in Gold and 

local currency. 

G. LION, 

Manager. 



RUSSO-ASIATIC BANK 

Telegraphic Address : " SINORUSSE " 

Capital (fully paid up) Roubles 5-,ooo.oco 

Reserve Fund „ 26,560.000 

Capital contributed by the 

Chinese Government . . Kuping TIs. 3,500.0:0 
Reserve Fund „ „ 1,750.000 

Head Office:— Fctrogv3,d 

Paris Office i—g Rue Bondreau 

Londofi Office.— 64 Old Broad Street, E.C.2 
CORRESPONDENTS 
London : — Messrs. Glyn, Mills, Currie & Co. 
Paris : — Societe Generale pour favoriser le develop- 

pement du Commerce et de Tlndustrie en 

France. 

Banque de Paris et des Pays-Bas 
Lyons : — Societe Generale pour favoriser le de- 

veloppement du Commerce et de I'Industrie 

en France. 
Milan : — Credito Italiano. 
New York : — The Equitable Trust Company of 

New York. 

FAR EASTERN BRANCHES 

Or. China : — Chefoo, Dairen, Hankow, Hongkong, 

Newchwang, Peking, Shanghai, Tientsin. 
Sinkiang : — Ouroumtchi, Kashgar, Kouldja. 
Manchuria :— Changchun, Hailar, Harbin, Harbin- 

Pristan, Manchouli. 
Mongolia : — Maimacheng. 
Siberia : — Vladivostock, Habarovsk, Nicolaevsk 

S/A. etc. 
British India :— Bombay. 
Japan : — Yokohama, Kobe. 

Interest allowed on Current Accounts and 
Fixed Deposits i.n Taels, Dollars and Roubles. 
Terms on application. 

Local Bills discounted. 

Special facilities for Russian Exchange. 

Foreign Exchange on the principal cities of the 
world bought and sold. 

SAFE DEPOSIT BOXES 
L. Jezierski, S. de Jastrzembski, 

Managers for Asia. 



Hongkong ^ Shanghai 
Banking Corporation 

Paid-up Capital • . . $15,000,000 

Reserve Funds : — 

Sterling £"1,500,000 

Silver $23,000 OOP 

Reserve Liability of Proprietors $15,000,000 

Head Office : HONGKONG. 

Chief Manager : 

Hongkong — N. J. Stabb, Esq. 

Branches and Agencies: 

Amoy Ipoh Penang 

Bangkok Johore Rangoon 

Batavia Kobe Saigon 

Bombay Kuala-Lumpur S. Francisco 

Calcutta London Shanghai 

Canton Lyons Singapore 

Colombo Malacca Sourabaya 

Foochow Manila Tientsin 

Hankow Nagasaki Tsingtao 

Harbin New York Vladivostock 

Iloilo Peking Yokohama 

London Bankers: 

London County ¥/estminister & Parr's Bank, Ld. 

Shanghai Branch: 12, The Bund. 

Sub-Agency: 9, Broadway. 

Interest allowed on Current Accounts and on Fixed 
Deposits according to arrangement. — 

Local Bills Discounted. 

Credits granted on approved Securities, and ever3'' 
description of Banking and Exchange business transacted. 

Drafts granted on London and the chief commercial 
places in Europe, India, Australia, Africa, China, and Japan. 
G. H. STITT, Acting Manager. 



TRAVELER'S LETTER OF CREDIT 



The Shanghai Commercia! & 
Savings Bank, Ltd. 

Issues Traveler's Letters of Credit payable through- 
out China and in principal cities abroad. 

Head Office: 

9 NINGPO ROAD, SHANGHAI 

Cable Address : " COMSA VBANK " 



Branches and Agencies throughout China, 
CORRESPONDENTS : 



London 


New York 


Paris 


Berlin 


Amsterdam 


Tokyo 


Seattle 


San Francisco 


Chicago 


Manila 


Osaka 
Singapore 


Kobe 



A. B. A. TRAVELER'S CHECKS ISSUED 



The Exchange BanK 

of China 

n Wi m m m ^ 

Capital Subscribed Yen 1,000,000,0© 



Head Omce: PEKING 
President: Lou Tsung Yu 
Managing Director: T*. Kakiuchi 
Telegraphic Address: ''KNABEX'' 

Peking Office : The Regine's Building 
Cliief Manager, T. S. Young 

Shanghai Office : 41, Kiangsc Road 
Manager, P. C. Kong 

Agencies and Correspondents 

London, New York, Tientsin, Hankow, 
Kiukiang, Tsingtao, Dairen, Changchun, . 
Mukden, Foochow, Amoy, Swatow, Hong- 
kong, Canton, Tokio, Kioto, Yokohama, 
Kobe, Osaka, Nagasaki, Moji, Singapore, 
Bombay, Seoul, Formosa, etc., etc. 



Transacts every description of Banking 
and Exchange business. 

Receives Fixed, Current and Special 
Account Deposits, 
Grants Loans on approved securities. 



THE BANK OF CHINA 



Specially authorized by Presidential 
Mandate of the Republic of China 
3n the 22nd of November, 1917. 



x^nthorized Capital $6o,ooo,ooo.co 

Paid up Capital 12,279,800.00 

Reserve Funds 4,116,770,00 

Head O^c^;— PEKING. 

HONGKONG BRANCH :— 20/21 Connaught Road 
Central-Branches and Sub-branches all over 
China and Correspondents in San Francisco, 
New York, Singapore and Japan. 

London Bankers: — The National Provincial and 
Union Bank of England, Ltd. 
Guaranty Trust Co. of N. Y. 

New York Bankers: — Irving National Bank. 



Interest allowed on Current Accounts and Fixed 

Deposits. Terms on application. 
Every description of Banking Business Transacted. 

Loans granted on approved securities. 

Special facilities for Home Exchange. 

Interest on Fixed Deposits at the following rates: — 

For 3 months 3% per annum 

For 6 months 4% per annum 

For 12 months 5% per annum 

TSUYEE PEI, 

Manager, 
Hongkong Branch. 



ASIA 



BANKING CORPORATION 

CAPITAL $4,000,000 SURPLUS $1,000,000 



An Ainericcui Institution 



Head OMce: 
New York City 
35 Broadway. 




Head Office: 
For Far East 
Shanghai 

{Corner Kiukiang 
& Kiangse Roads) 



All descriptions of Banking Business transacted in 
any part of the world. 



A Research Bureau has been established to facilitate 
and promote trade between the U. S. and China, 



STGCKHOLOII^G BANKS: 

Anglo and London, Paris National Bank, 

San Francisco 
Bankers' Trust Compan}^ New York City 
First National Bank of Portland, Oregon 
Guaranty Trust Company of New York 
Guardian Savings and Trust Company, Cleveland, 

Ohio 
Mercantile Bank of the Americas, New York City 
National Bank of Commerce, Seattle, Washington 
National Shawmut Bank, Boston, Mass. 



Cable Address : 
*'Bankasia" 



Shanghai TeL 
C. 1325 



TUNG LU BA N K 

COMMERCIAL & SAYINGS 
Capital $2,000,000 Reserve Fund $200,000 

Head Office : Sze Kai Hu Don, outside of Chenmen, Peking, 
Office Hour : lo a.m. to 4 p.m. 

Interest allowed on Current Accounts and Fixed Deposits 
both in Taels and Dollars according to arrangement. Credits 
granted on approved securities. L,ocal Bills discounted, and every 
description of banking and exchange business transacted. 

Shanghai Branch: 

P25 Nanking Road Tel. Cen. 4747-4748 

Office Hour: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. 

Officers :—'M.r. Woo Teh lying General Manager. 

Head Office : 

Mr. Woo Yuen Fong Manager. 

Mr. Chang Yuen Chow Sub-manager and Business Manager. 

Mr. Hoong Wei Yu Chief Accountant. Mr. Woo Ba Yen Cashier. 

Shanghai Branch: 
Mr. Fong Chu Pao Manager. Mr. S. F. I^in Sub-manager. 

Mr. Hsiao-Ian Chen Business Manager. 
Mr. Chang Chaou Chief Accountant, Mr. Yee Chuen Tai Cashier, 



The Ekman Foreign Agenoies, Ltd. 

6 Kiangse: Road, Shanghai 

IMPORTERS, EXPORTERS, ENGINEERS AND 

STEAMSHIP AGENTS 

Specialise in: 

Pulp and Paper, 

Incandescent Lamps, Crude Oil Motors, 

Electric Motors and Dynamos, 

Steam Turbines and Engines, 

Centrifugal Pumps, Steam and Waterfittings. 

Agents: 

The Swedish East Asiatic Co., Ltd., (Regular 
Steamship service between Sweden & China.) 

At Gothenburg (Sweden) 

Messrs. Ekman & Co. (Established I802.) 



SIGHTSEEING IN CHINA 

INCLUSIVE TOURS and competent GUIDES for 
Hongkong, Canton, Macao and West River. 
Shanghai, Hangchow, Mokanshan, Nanking, etc. 
Houseboat trips on the Grand Canal. 
Peking, Ming Tombs, Great Wall, etc. 



Conducted Tours in Japan and Korea. 



Hotel and train accommodation reserved in advance. 
Travellers's cheques. Circular Notes and 
Letters of Credit changed at all offices. 



THOS. COOK & SOii 

HONGKOjVG, Hongkong Hotel PEKING, Grand Hotel de Pekln 

SHiNGHAI, Rnsso-Asiatic Bank Bldg. 
MANILA, Manila Hotel YOKOHAMA, 32, Water Street 



/ 



o 



C8 



CHINA- JAPAN B 

and the Far East ^^ 

— O 

Wholesale Beokseliers Stationers ^^ 

Educotionol-Medical O 

£ scientUic supplies i^ 

EDWHRO EVANS & SONS. Ltd. C 

30 North Szcchuca Road - SHANGHAI ^^ 



Eff Yeu Want a Good Square Meal, Pfsase Go To 

CAFE FAULISTA 

Special Rates to Monthly Boarders. 



TIFFIN - - 75cts. DINNER - - 11.00 

(11.30 till 2 p.m.) (5 till 9 p m.) 

Also A La Carte. Wine:s and Liqueurs Extra. 



DELICIOUS BRAZILIAN COFFEE 

Roasted and Ground per lb. 60 cts. ; in l-lb. tins 70 cts. 
Instant Coffee Cubes (sugared) 60 cts. doz. 



P. 448-9 NANKING ROAD (ne&r Fokien Road) 

Open Daily from 9 a.m. to 11 p.m. 
Telephone Central 2980 



W6^ Sljangljai Mereury, Jbd. 

Fi'inters and Publishers, 

5 Hongkong Road. 



THE EVENING PAPEB 

"SHANGHAI MERCURY" 

$30.00 per annum. Postage Extra. 



"CELESTIAi; EMPIRE" 

$10.00 per annum. Postage Extra. 



Largest and Best Weekly in China. 



Drink 



TRADE 




MARK 



QUALITY 



GUARANTEED 



1^ 
1%^ 



at all 5t©res 



BREWED by, 

A^TIESELSiCAeET 
UmiQN BRYGSERI 

(Scandinavian Brewery Co., Ltd.) 



ADDRESS: 

OFFICE: 17 Mureiim Rd. 'Phone Central 4897 
BREWERY: 40 Gordon Rd. „ West 209 



:30c 



DOC 



30C 



it ©ISTINCTIV 




BRASSES 

BRONZES 

LACQUER 

PORCELAIN 

SILKS 

CREPES 

EMBROIDERY 

PICTURES 

BROCADE - 

JADE 

IVORY 

PONGEE 

LACES 

JEWELS 

BEADS 

BASKETS 



FURNITURE 

FANS 

PLACE CARDS 

COSTUMES 

CROSS-STITCH 

LINENS 

LANTERNS 

LAMPS 

carvings 
c;hests 

CANDLES 

carpets 

cloissonne 

TRAYS 

TASSELS 
PENDAJ5TS 



The Jade Tree, Corner Nanking 
and Lloyd Roads, Shanghai 



MEECHANWSE i 



HOC 



HOC 



inoc 




ROOSTER BRAND 

MACARONI 
PASTE STARS 
VERMICELLI 
SPAGHETTI 

AND Al,h KINDS Ot 

SOUP STUFFS 

are made from the choicest ingredients with the 
latest foreign-made machinery, in the most 
hygienic conditions, under expert supervisioiu 

The Biggest, Best, 
Cheapest Food Value 



Sales Room, 430-1 Nanking Road, Shanghai 
Factory, 71 North Soochow Road, Shanghai 

THE HINfiWAH PASTE Mfg. Co., LM. 



KELLY & WALSH, LTD. 

The Latest Books on China and the Far East 

The Trade and Administration of China 

by H.B.Morse $10.00 

Third edition, thoroughly revised and brought up to date. 

The History of Shanghai by G. Lanning and 

S. Couling Vol. 1. Illus 7.50 

A volume of intense interest to all residents, past and present. 

A Handbook of Customs Procedure at Shang- 
hai. Issued under the authority of the 
Inspector General of Custoi.is .. .. 5.00 

Foreign Office Handbooks: — 

China.... p.lO - Mongolia .. .$0.70 

Siam 0.35 Manchuria.. 1.40 

Tibet.... 1.40 Kiaochow... 1.00 
Weihaiweil.OO Japan 1.75 

Shanghai, A Handbook for Travellers and 
Residents, to the Chief Objects of Interest 
in and around the Foreign Settlements 
and Native City, by Rev. C.E. Darwent, 2nd 
ed. revised, with many illus. and map .. 3.00 

Modern Constitutional Development in China 

by H.M. Vinacke 6.00 

A Manual of Metaphor, A Selection of 
Typical Chinese Metaphors by C. A. S. 
Williams 4.00 

Glimpses of the Yangtze Gorges by C. Plant, 

with illus. by I. A. Donnelly 4.50 

Chinese Junks. A Book of Drawings in Black 

and White, by Ivan A. Donnelly . . . . 2.50 

Mission Peiliot en Asie Centrale:— Les Grottes 

de Touen-Houang Peintures et Sculptures 
Bouddhlques des Epoques des Wei, des 
T'ang et des Song, by Paul Peliiot 3 Vols. 

(4 parts) 80.00 

Collection Paul Mallon decrite par Gaston 

Migeon le. fasc .. .. 15.00 

A folio of beautiful plates of Chinese paintings, sculpture 
and po'tery. 

Cathay and the Way Thither. A collection of 
mediaeval notices of China. Trans. & ed. 
by Col. Sir Henry Yule. New ed. revised 
throughout in the light of recent discover- 
ies by Henri Cordier, 4 vols, printed for 
the Hakluyt Society .. 50.00 

The British in China and Far Eastern Trade 

by C. A. Middleton Smith 12.50 



I. C. YANG & Co., Ltd. 

PEKING 

Cor. Legation St. & Chienmien St. 
General Storekeepers 

Call on us for your 

Curios 

Jewelry 

Cigars & Tobacco 

Wines 

Aerated Water 

Steamer Rugs 

Luggage 

Sporting Goods 

Cut Glass 

Hardware 

Furniture 



Manufacture 2 Aerated Watei 
Furniture 

A1.S0 

ENGINEERING & BUILDING CONTRACTORS 




ss '^OONGMOW 

Lt. Commander S. Hall R. N. R. (Captain) 

One of the most wonderful and awe inspiring 
trips in the world by the largest and fastest steamer 
on the Upper Yangtsze. 

The " LooNGMow " is a new steamer expressly 
constructed for the run between Ichang and Chungking 
and is fitted with every modern convenience for 
passengers. She has large airy staterooms, electric 
light and fans throughout. 

Through tickets from Shanghai to Chungking and 
back— round trip 3 weeks — may be booked at : — 



MACKENZIE & Co., Ltd. 



7a Canton Road 
Shanghai 

Butterfield & Swire French Bund, Shanghai 

or 

Thomas. Cook and Sons 



■ CHINESE QOVEt 

PEKING • HANKOW • 1 



The leading Railway connects the centre t 
Express and through trains are provided with ist, i 
1st class Berth ticket $6.0 . 

For reservation of berths, etc. Apply to the INFORM ATItl 
Telephone E. 1698-^Code A.B.C. Sth Edi. 



PRINGIPAL STATIONS 

PEKING is the capital of China. 

The FAMOUS GREAT WALL built about 200 B. C. an( 
2500 miles long, situated at the top of the NANKOW PAS' 
(20 miles from PEKING) stretches from the sea to the Westen 
borders of Mongolia. 

The MING TOMBS^ situated about 11 miles from Nanko^? 
Pass, 13 in number, are laid out on the slopes of a lovely an< 
attractive valley in the hills. 

TONGSHAN HOT SPRINGS situated about 7 miles east a 
SHAHO STATION, are noted as a healthy resort. 

The WESTER 2n IMPERIAL TOMBS (Hsiling) about 79 mile 
from the Peking Chienmen Station, stand as a unique feature 
which gives visitors an idea of the splendors of the Ching Dynasty 

HANKOW TACHIHMEN is the most important passenger 
station situated in the business centre of the port, it affords grea^ 
facilities to passengers in boarding and alighting from trains fo: 
the different Yangtze ports. 

CHIKUNGSHAN MOUNTAIN SUMMER RESORT situatec 
116 miles from Hankow, 5 miles east of the Sintien station, from 
where starts a serpentine road climbing the mountain, the summii 
of which stands at 1980 feet high. 

KALGAN a commercial distributing centre for Mongolia. 



' «-/Ji-*J!JUll_i.| I 



WENT RAILWAYS 

KING • SUIYUAN • LINE 



angtze and the region outside of great wall, 

2nd, class sleeping accommodations and Dining cars 

Ind class Berth ticket $4.00 



UREAU. Passengers Department. Head Office: PEKING. 
Telegraphic addr. ''KINCO" Peking, 



PLACES OF INTEREST 

TATUNGFU an important coal producing region from which 
coal is brought out by a branch line. 

SIAHWAYUAN, branch-line bringing coal from the neigh- 
bouring coal mines. 

PAOTINGFU, the capital of Chihli province, is an important 
business centre and ranks in the province next to Peking 8i Tientsin. 

SHIHKIACHWANG, starting point of the Cheng-Tai line 
leading to Taiyuanfu, -whose main traffic is coal and other 
products from Shansi. 

YAKOYING, starting point of a branch line leading to the 
coal mines in Lincheng district. 

TZECHOW, a coal mining center, also the producing centre 
of earthenware. 

FENGLOCHEN, colliery line leading to Liuhokow. 

SINSIANG, from where the Tao-kow Ching-hua line runs 
across to the rich coal mines of Shansi, also an agricultural centre, 
whose products arc exported in great quantities. 

CHENGCHOW an important business centre from which 
Kaifengfu and Honanfu can be reached by the Pienlo and 
Lunghai lines. 

YENGCHENGHSIENG, is the centre for grain from Honan 
province. 



South Manchuria Railway 



Operating All Lines in South Manchuria 
and Chosen (Korea) East of Mukden 



Travellers and Tourists journeying between 
Tokyo and Peking should travel via the South 
Manchuria Railway, which runs from Fusan to 
Mukden and passes through magnificent scenery and 
furnishes the last links in the newest highw^ay 
round the world. Only a lo hours sea voyage 
between Shimonoseki and Fusan. 

This line connects at Mukden with the Pekiiig- 
Mukden Line and the Main Line of the South 
Manchuria Railway, which runs from Dairen to 
Changchun, where connection is^ made with the 
Chinese Eastern Railway for Harbin. 

Regular Steamer connections between Dairen, 
Tsingtauand Shanghai by the Company's fast Pas- 
senger and Mail Boats. 



Modern Hotels under the Company's manage- 
ment are established on foreign ^ lines at Seoul, 
Fusan, Shingishu and Kongosan in Chosen, and 
Mukden, Changchun, Port Arthur, Dairen and 
Hoshigaura. 



U 



Illustrated Booklets and all Information post 
free on request from the 

Soflth Manchuria Railway Co., Dairen 

Branch OMces: 
Tokyo, Seoul, Harbin, Peking and Shanghai 

Tel. Add.: ''MANTETSU" 
Codes: A. B. C. 5th Ed., Al, Lieber's, Bentley's. 



THE 

SILK EMPORIUM 

OF THE 

ORIENT 



Our Silks, Satins, Pongees, (Srepes, 
gauzes, and ^gM and Silver brocade 

are famous throughout the Orient, 

OUR PRICES ARE MODERATE 

Liaou Kai FooE Co. 

23 KIUKIANG ROAD, 
Shanghai, Cliina. 





CLOISONNE 




Visitors to Peking 




SHOUI<D CAI.I. AT 






XiBo eien Xii, 






WHER^ the; 




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Best Cloisonne 


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IS SOI.D AT THI^ 

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FACTORY IS SITUATED AT: 






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Our New Store in which is displayed a Large 






Selection of Our Cloisonne and Silver 






WORKS AT; 






43 MORRISON STREET. 




3NNOSIO"lD 



''^ The storm ce7iter of the world has gradually 

shifted to China Whoever understands 

that mighty Em^pire socially, politically^ 
economically, religiously, has a key lo 
zuorld-^olitics for the next five centuries, '^^ — 
John Hay, former secretary of state, United 
States of America, : : : : : : 



Although uttered a deca-de ago, the 
words of the world famous advocate of the 
^^Open Dcoi'* to China have taken on an 
additional meaning in the light of events 
just past, those of the present and those 
indicated for the future. The steady trend 
of world commerce toward the Far East 
and the changing politeal coxiditions of the 
Orient as they affect the other nations of 
the world; should bring the realization to 
everyone that an understanding of China 
and her problems is a vital necessity. 

THE WEEKLY EEVIEW is the leading 
weekly journal of current opinion in the 
Far East, dealing with conmrerce, finance, 
and general affairs. It ;is American owned 
and edited but adheres closely to a policy 
of accuracy above all in the presentation of 
its material. To read the REVIEW weekly 
is to be closely in touch with and well 
informed on the current events of import- 
ance and on those tendencies which are 
making the new China of tomorrow in 
commerce, finance, politics and social life. 

As a medium of reaching the markets 
of China, THE WEEKLY REVIEW offers a 
circulation which is one of the largest in 
the Far East and the most widespread of 
any publication in China, either Chinese or 
foreign. Rates and other information 
regarding advertising on application. 



Single issue, 
20 cents, 
Chinese 
Curreticy, 
Annual sith- 
scHptions — 
In China, 

0, Chinese 
Currency. 
In the United 
States and 
abroad, 
$7.50 U,S. 
Currency. 



Send Your Subscription In Now 



THE WEEKLY REVIEW 

OP THE FAR EAST 

11 Avenue Edward VII., Shanghai, China 



BURLINGTON HOTEL 

173 BUBBLIN6 WELL ROAD 

(centre of city's residential section) 
SHANGHAI 
Cable Address : ^ 

"Burlington" 

130 BEDROOMS 
Each with Private Bath, (F, & C.) 



EXCELLENT TABLE KEPT 
/. CHOICEST WINES /. 

SERVICE IN ALL DEPARTMENTS 
UNEXCELLED IN THE ORIENT 



STABLING and GARAGE 
.-. ACCOMMODATION /. 



A country hotel in the aristocratic 
district within ten minutes by 
auto, from the Bund, banks, 
business houses, theatres, etc., etc. 



SPECIALLY MODERATE RATES 
FOR PROLONGED VISITS 



R. W. MacCabs, 

General Manager. 



a egvm-mr' Wii i j i j uw i 



GRAND HOTEL KALEE 

— SHANGHAI — 



^ 



UNDER FRENCH MANAGEMENT 

Situated in the most central part 
of the Europeau business quarter. 

130 well" furnished rooms each 
with private bath attached. 

Passenger Elevator. 

First-class cuisine and attendance. 

All departements under 
experienced European control. 



^^^^^ "^/^'^f • A. MILDNER, 

" KA-L-^^ Manager, 

A.B.C. Code 5th Edition 



The Most Beautiful 
Cafe In the Far East 




Ball Room of Cafe Parisien 



Dancing Every Night to the Music of the 
Famous Jazz Band 



CAFE PARISIEN 

25 Avenue; Edouard VII :: Shanghai. 



Bank of Ganton, Ixtd, 

Head Office: Hongkong 



Foreign Exchange 

and 

General Banking 
Business Transacted 



Interest on Fixed Deposits 

For 3 Months 3 % annum. 
For 6 Months 4 % annum. 
For 12 Months 4]% annum. 



LOOK POON SHAN, 

Chief Manager. 



Chinese Government Railways 

Through service between Peking and Moukden, con- 
necting with the South Manchuria express and Trans- 
Siberian route ; at Peking connection is made with the 
Peking - H a n- 
kow Railway 
f o r Hankow 
and Yangtsze 
ports, and in- 
termedi ate 
points reached 
by the Chen- 
Tai line to 
Taiyuanfu, the 
Tao-Ching 
line, and the 
Pienlo Rail- 
way to - Kai- 
f e n g f u and 
Honanfu. Con- 
nection is also 
made at Pek- 
ing with the 
pi cturesque 
Kalgan line, 
"The Road 
to the Great 
Wall." At 
Tientsin (Cent- 
ral) connection 
is made with the Tientsin- Pukow line for Tsinsmfu and 

Shanghai. 

The Railways of North China pass 

through the most interesting 

part of China. 

Peking, the capital, with its walls, palaces, temples arid 
tombs. Tientsin, the great trade centre of North China. 
Tongshan, the largest mining and industrial town in the 




First class Sleeping Berth, Trains de Luxe. 



(Peking-Mukden Line) 

country. Shanhaikwan, Avhere the great Wall ends at the 
sea. Newchwang, the busy commercial port of Man- 
churia. Mukden, the ancestral home of the Manchu 
dynasty, a miniature Peking, with its walls, imperial 
palaces, temples and tombs. 

The through trains are equipped with buffet and dining 

car service, and a comfortable, modern train de luxe of 

compartment sleeping cars is operated in connection 

with the through service of the Trans-Siberian and South 

Mane hur iaRai Iways . 

Through tickets to London and other places in Europe 
can be obtained at Peking and Tientsin from which 
stations passengers' luggage can be registered through to 
destination. 

Through tickets are issued and passengers' baggage 
registered through between the important stations on the 
Peking-Mukden Railway and the South Manchuria rail- 
way, Chosen (Korean) Railway and Imperial Govern- 
ment Railways of Japan. 

Full particulars on application to any of the 

stations or to the traffic manager 

of any of the railways 

mentioned. 

For further information apply to any office in America, 
Europe or the Far East of 

The Cie, International des Wagons-Lits ; 
Thos. Cook & Son ; or Traffic [Vfanager, 
Chinese Gov't. Railways (Peking-Mukden 
Line), Tientsin, North China- 



TIENTSIN Pll 

The Quiches 

SHANGHAI I 




bridge: ov£:r ye;i*i:.o 

The most important trunk line between North & South.i 

Full of places of historical and scenic interests. 

TAI-SHAN, the sacred mountain of CHINA, and CHUFUJf 
the birth place of the Great Sage Confucius. 

Two through trains daily between Tientsin & Pukow both 
connecting SHANGHAI-NANKING RAILWAY & PEKING- 
MUKDEN RAILWAY. 



For further particulars, apply to the Traffic Ml 
Messrs. Thos. Cook & Son, The Internatioa 
Rose^Bureau. 



QOW RAIL 

\)ut6 Between 

ND PEKING 



a Heite« B fca BegaBB»«s 




AY 




fCVElR NEAR TSINANFU 

The Expiess Trains provide I & H class sleeping and 
^dining cars. 

First class cuisine under personal supervision of medical 
■' officers. 

Through bookings with other Government Railways and 
I South Manchuria and Chosen Lines and the Japanese 
! Government Railways. 

t— — 

figer, Head Office, Tientsin, or the Ticket Agents, 
Bleeping Car & Express Trains Co. or The Nordisk 



GRAND HOTEL de PEKIN 

PEKING, CHINA 

Tel. Address : Codes: 

"GRAND HOTEL" A. B. C. 5th Edition 

Peking. Bentleys & Liebers. 



The Only Hotel de Luxe 
in the Far East 

AFTERNOON DAN3ANT, DAILY 

Beautiful new steel and concrete fire proof 
building with six floors, 3 lifts ; 200 rooms, eacli 
with private batli and city telephone, and a 
spacious roof garden overlooking the romantic 
Imperial Palace, the Legation Quarter, tlie 
Kockefeller Institute, and the entire city. 

Unexcelled cuisine, with French 
chef. Banquets a specialty. Wines 
of the best districts of France. 

Large playground for children in 
the park of the hotel, which is tlie 
healthiest location in the city. 



THOS. COOK & SON headquarters, 

in the building. 

Motorbus meets ail trains. 

L. M. MAILLE, Manager. 



Tientsin Business Guide 



Aereated Waters 

Mackie & Co., 34-Rue du France. 
BANKS, (See Bank Advertising) 

Bank of China, Rue du TAmirante. 
Chartered Bank of India, Aust. & China, 

Victoria Road. 
Chung Foo Union Bank, 29-Rue du TAmarante. 
International Banking Corp., 9-Victoria Road. 

Cafes & Resturants 

Empire Cafe, Rue du TAmirante. 

Eldorado Cafe, F st. Ex-German Concession. 

Kiessling Cafe, 10-President Wilson st. 

Cigars, Cigarettes Sc Tobacco 

Tientsin Tobacco Co., 84-86-Victoria Road. 

Drapers & Mens Outfitters 

H. E. Bland & Co., 28-Victoria Road. 

Express & Forwarding Agents 

China Forwarding & Express Co., R.R. Station. 

General Store & Outfitters 

Hirschbrunner & Co., Victoria Road. 
Talati & Co., 59-Victoria Road. 

House & Office Furnishing 

Sims & Co., 9-Victoria Road. 

Insurance Agents 

Tipper & Co., 35-Victoria Road, 

Union Assurance Co., 24-Rue Baron Gros. 

Jewelry & Art Works 

Tientsin Art & Jewelry Co., 44-Victoria Road. 

Photographic Supplies 

The Kodak Shop, 19- Victoria Road. 

Silks & Dressmaking 

Ken Isawa & Co., 22-Victoria Road. 



SHANGHAI Bl 



BANKS, (See bank advertising) 
Bank of Canton, Ningpo Road. 
Bank of China, 3-Hankow Road. 
Banque de I'lndo Chine, The Bund. 
Commercial Bank of China, The Bund. 
Netherlands Trading Society, The Bund. 
Ningpo Commercial Bank, Ningpo Road. 

BOOKSELLERS, (See advertising) 

Chow Tsu Kong, lll-Szechuen Road. 

Chinese Daily Newspapers 

Shun Pao, Hankow & Shantung Road. 
Sin Wan Pao, Hankow Road. 
Eastern Times, Foochow & Shantung Road. 
China Times, 162-Shantung Road. 

Cigars, Cigarettes & Tobacco 

Tobaquera Filipino. 34-Nanking Road 

Cotton Merchant 

A. B. Rosenfield & Son, 39Xanton Road. 

Foreign Provisions 

Dombey & Son, 140-Bubbling Well Road. 

Luen How & Co., 1101-Broadway. 

Shanghai General Store, 5-Broadway. 

Zung Kee & Co., Bubbling Well & Carter Road, 

Forwarding Agents 

Shiller & Co., 9-Ezra Road. 

GARAGE 

Auto Castle, 228-Ave. Joffre. 

Gift Shop 

Squires., Bingham & Co., 16-Nanking Road. 



SINESS GUIDE 



HOTELS, (See advertising) 

Continental Hotel, 88-Szechuen Road. 
Savoy Hotel, 21-Broadway. 
Y. P. S. Hotel, Tibet Road. 

Insurance Agents, (See last page) 

Standard Life Insurance Co., Fr. Bund. 

JEWELRY 

Boyes, Basset & Co., 34-Nanking Road. 
Hung Chong & Co., 35-Nanking Road. 
Ural Jewelry Store, 291-No. Szechuen. 
Wo Shing, 198-Kiangse Road. 

MILLINERY 

''Elegant" Astor House Bldg., Broadway. 

NOVELTIES 

Yung Trading Co., 574-Nanking Road. 

Pianos, Music & Talking Machines 

S. Moutrie & Co., 0pp. Palace Hotel. 

Photographic Supplies 

Burr Photo Co., 2-Broadway. 

Young Photo Co., 6.-62-Nanking Road. 

SHOES (Retail) 

Chung Hwa Shoe Store, 40-Nanking Road. 
Walkover Shoe Store, Ezra Bldg. 

TAILORS (Gentlemens) 

Heng Kong, Y9-No. Szechuen Road. 
Sing, Hong, 11-No. Szechuen Road. 

Tea Parlors, Cakes, & Ices 

Federal Cafe, Broadway, 0pp. Astor House, 
M. Y. San & Co., 30-Nanking Road. 

Wine & Spirit Merchants 

Gande, Price & Co., 48-Kiangse Road. 



The Chinese American Publishing Company 

THE AMERICAN BOOK SHOP 
25 NANKING ROAD 

BOOKS ON CHINA 

Camps & Trails in China, by Roy Chapman Andrews $7.00 
Across Mongolian Plains, by Roy Chapman Andrews iO.OO 
Mastery of the Far East, by Arthur Judson Brown. . 12.00 

Chance and Change in China, by A. S. Roe. 6.00 

Development of China, by Kenneth Scott La Tourette 4.00 

Ontline History of China, by Herbert H. Gowen 4.50 

Modern China, by Sih-Gung Cheng 5.50 

Chinese Characteristics, by Arthur H. Smith 5.00 

Village Life in China, by Arthur H. Smith 5.00 

China, the Mysterious and Marvellous, by Victor 

Murdock 6.00 

Contemporary Politics in the Far East, by Stanley 

K. Hondbeck 7.00 

The Middle Kingdom, by S. Williams 2 vols , 20.00 

Wang the Ninth, by B. L. Putnam Weale 3.50 



The National Commercial Bank; Ltd. 

Established 1907 

Paid-Up Capital $1,000,000.00 

Reserve Fund 435,461.90 

Head OMce: Shanghai — Peking and Kiangse Roads 
Telephones : Manager's Office : Central 2650 

General „ ,, {^^g' ^ 

Branches: — Hangchow, Hankow, Peking, Tientsin, 
Mukden and Harbin. 



FOREIGN CORRESPONDENTS 

London, Paris. New York, San Francisco, Tokio, 

Yokohama, Kobe, and Osaka. 
Correspondents at the principal cities throughout China. 
Shen Chu Hsu, Manager. 
Shu Chin Mih, Sub-Manager. 
Meng Chia, T. D. Woo, 

Acting Sub-Manager. 



44 



FELUCCA 33 

The Ci^areife o{ l)isiinc4ion 




Manufac+ured in Cairo 
bif Maspero Freres L+d 



Look /or 41ie 
E^ypiian Govern- 
meni- l^^evenae 



Re\^en.ae Stsunp^wAicA jsr z/oar* 
^uarairfee iAa^ Felucca G'^a[re:ffe^ 
^remanu/acofarecfanJpacAeJm £i}^pt: 



.nil nih crttiiriiirlit t» isniM by (h». Jiril'uib-Aiiiri'ictii 1\%t(Vii r«. ((Kiiia]. \*L 




Si Bk •m 



Che Oriental press 

113 AVE. EDWARD VII. 
SHANGHAI. 



Xargesf J^oreigrj prirjtirjg Qo. in Qhiqa 

Publishers Fre^nch Daii,y Echo d^ ChinK 

Printers of Mii.i,ards RkviKw 
and numerous publications. 

General Printers, Lithographers, Die and Copper 
Plate Engravers, 

Importers of Paper and Printing Machinery and 
Printers supplies. 

Correspondence Solicited, 



The Chekiang Industrial Bank, Ltd. 

Established 1908 

Capital $1,000,000.00 

Reserve Fund 81 ,425.61 

Resources 10,000,000.00 

Head Office and Branches ; 

Hangchow, Shanghai, Haimon and Lanchi. 

Domestic Agencies; 

Thruout CHINA at principal Cities. 

Foreign Correspondents ; 

London, Paris, Rotterdam, Amsterdam, New York, 

Chicago, San Francisco, Tokyo, Kobe, Yokohama, 

Osaka, Hakodate, Seoul, Fusan, and Hongkong. 

Every description of Banking & Exchange transacted. 

U MING. Manager. 
( U. 39 Peking Road 
Shanghai Branch: < Telephone : C. 3145 Mgr's Office. 
( „ C. 2147 General Office. 

Cable Address: " Chindusbank/' Shanghai. 



THE 

CARLTON CAFE 

mmmmmmaamBtmmmatmmmmmammmaaBmmmmma MBBnHanBHBHiMiHMnar 

THE 

BRIGHTEST SPOT 

IN 

SHANGHAI 

MEETING PLACE 

OF THE SELECT 

► IN THE METROPOLIS 

OF THE FAR EAST 



THE CATHAY LACE CO. 

19 Nanking Road, Shanghai 
The Leading Lace Merchants in the Orient 



m 



HAND MADE LACE 



m 



Filet^ Crochet^ Cluny^ Venetian^ and Various 
Fine Needle- Work 

Best Quality at Moderate Prices 
WHOLESALE AND RETAIL 



(WeestaO 
^t»e *7<e Keivspapers to hrin^ you 
into touch tvith the markets of China 

Because they have the Largest Circulation of any papers printed 
in English in the Far East. 

Because they are the Oldest Foreign Newspapers in the Far East 
and have held the confidence of both foreigners and natires 
for more than sixty years. 

Ju?r Information and Sample Copies address 
The Secretary^ 

North-China Daily News & Herald, Ltd. 

Shanghai, ChiisU. 



AOV£RTfSIMG 
Mi^CH/&ND!SING 




CARL We offer to 

CROW merchants and 
manufacturers an 
advertising and merchandising 
service which has helped many 
to success in the Chinese market. 

34 Mauking Road, S!ia»ghai 



RD 



123 






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